Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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RITZVILLE – Groundwork for a new gas station and convenience store at the Interstate 90-state Highway 261 interchange is underway. At the Tuesday, April 16, City Council meeting, Clerk/Treasurer Julie Flyckt announced the general contractor and earthwork subcontractor have finally broken ground for construction of a new Maverick gas station. The station will be located across the road from Love's Travel Stop, next to Big Bend Electric. According to survey maps, an existing t...
RITZVILLE – During the public comment portion of the Tuesday, April 16, City Council meeting, resident Don Sanger expressed frustration about two issues. First was the lack of a solar-powered speed limit sign near his home on Weber Avenue. Second was his contention that the city’s water billing policy is unfair. Regarding the first issue, Sanger said, “I want a solar-powered speed limit sign placed on Weber Avenue. Countless semis travel that road in excess of 35 mph. “I offered to pay for a sign out of my own pocket,...
RITZVILLE – Without a cadre of folks willing to invest their time and skills to keep clubs, churches, school-sponsored programs and not-for-profit organizations running smoothly, many would languish. Others might disappear entirely. During the week of April 21-27, dubbed "National Volunteer Appreciation Week," volunteers will receive a measure of recognition for their efforts. President Richard Nixon began the tradition 50 years ago with an executive order, and successive p...
RITZVILLE – The City Council approved paying $179,643 toward the Well No. 8 project during its April 2 meeting. The payment was for work performed through March 22 by Varela Engineering and Management of Spokane, and POW Contracting of Pasco. It covered site work, building framing, an electrical "rough in" involving wiring to a transformer and the installation of the remaining 12-inch water main. The original contract price for the project, including sales tax, totals $...
RITZVILLE – Linda Kubik, A 1968 graduate of Ritzville High School, always wanted to be a weaver. But she didn't become one until age 30. "I could have bought a car, but I bought a loom instead," she said. Raised on a farm near the Lincoln County line, she described herself as a shy young person. After high school, she wanted to move as far away as possible to an affordable in-state college. "We were all very naive growing up in rural America in the '60s," she said. "Going t...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Public Works Director Todd O’Brien stressed the need for broadband technicians in the years ahead during the March 26 meeting of the Adams County commissioners, O’Brien and the commissioners discussed the technical requirements of installing fiber-optic cable in Ritzville, Lind and Othello, and noted that cable will need to be laid under existing utility lines in some instances. Commissioner Dan Blankenship asked whether cables placed beneath underground utilities might need to be spliced in the f...
RITZVILLE — For the past decade, the courthouse has been the site of all Adams County Superior Court cases, including adult and juvenile dockets. Newly appointed Superior Court Judge Peter Palubicki is changing that. “We will be holding once-a-month dockets in Othello,” he said. “Juvenile cases will be heard at 10 a.m.; truancy cases, at 11 a.m.; civil cases, at 1 p.m.” Dockets will be scheduled for the first Thursday of every month in the Othello courtroom of Adams County District Court Judge Carolyn Benzel. Why the chang...
RITZVILLE – Following a Tuesday, March 19, show-cause hearing, the City Council determined property at 105 W. Sixth Ave. is no longer a “nuisance” as defined by Article III of the city code. The decision comes about a month after city employees photographed the property, documenting scrap piles, abandoned vehicles and appliances, a sagging fence, debris accumulation and fire hazards. That was Feb. 19. The next day, Feb. 20, a letter was sent to property owners Scott Gilder and Tammy Clemm-Gilder directing them to clean up th...
RITZVILLE – During a City Council meeting March 19, consultant Aren Murcar of SCJ Alliance of Spokane presented an update to the city’s comprehensive plan — including a housing element based on the 2023 housing action plan. The recently added housing section emphasizes the need for affordable housing, smaller housing and options to age-in-place. It details existing housing conditions here and notes that nearly 60% of the town’s housing stock was built prior to 1960 and nearly 40% prior to 1939. Older housing can present...
RITZVILLE – Two local boys received scouting's highest honor at a well-attended Court of Honor at the headquarters of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers on March 10. Chairman Harry Schafer led Eagle Scouts Shawn Steinberger and Michael Nichols in the "Eagle Charge and Pledge," and guest speaker Dr. Charles M. Sackmann and Scoutmaster Nathaneil Christman offered words of encouragement and recognition. In a pre-ceremony interview, Nichols and Steinberger recounted t...
RITZVILLE – More than 200 family members, friends and residents cheered and applauded Sunday, March 10, as judges awarded this year's Miss Ritzville title to high school junior Temple Gefre. The remaining young women - Brooklyn Norton, Madisyn Cameron, Addy Colbert and Claire Wellsandt - were honored as princesses. The Miss Ritzville pageant took place in the Ritzville Grade School gymnasium. This year's theme, "Born to Rock," will feature prominently on the community float i...
RITZVILLE – At the March 5 City Council meeting, Ben Varela of Varela Engineering was on hand to describe a change order for the Well No. 8 pump station project. The change order totaling $151,146, including sales tax, had five subparts. The council debated whether the first of the five components — totaling $32,000 — was necessary. As described by Varela, that change order involved replacing an existing “booster pump control valve” in Well No. 9 and installing it at Well No. 8. The change order proposal stated that a 12...
RITZVILLE - Five Lind-Ritzville High School juniors will vie for the title of Miss Ritzville 2024. Finalists will represent the town in parades and community events throughout the summer. This year's contestants are Madisyn Cameron, Addy Colbert, Temple Gefre, Brooklyn Norton and Claire Wellsandt. Here is an introduction to each candidate, ordered alphabetically by last name: Cameron Cameron, is the daughter of Mark and Christinia Cameron. Her high school activities have inclu...
RITZVILLE – The Adams County Development Council executive director describes himself as a salesman for the county. "On any given day, I'm working with Ritzville City Council on local issues or trying to encourage new regional or national businesses to locate in Adams County," said Kyle Niehenke, 33. "My focus in Ritzville is getting us ready for development." The goal is different in Othello, the largest city in Adams County. "In Othello, we're working on different issues t...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Public Works Director Todd O’Brien updated county commissioners on the construction of a broadband network slated to serve Lind, Othello and Ritzville during their Feb. 20 meeting. “From my perspective, we’re still a ways out,” he said. “But we’re moving closer.” In general terms, broadband extends frequencies so data can move faster. Defined as “high-speed Internet access that’s always on and faster than traditional dial-up access,” broadband includes several high-speed transmission technolo...
RITZVILLE – At the request of the Adams County Sheriff's Office, two consultants affiliated with the National Institute of Corrections spent three days last month touring the local jail, interviewing staff and reviewing data as part of a jail and justice system assessment. On Jan. 18, they presented recommendations to representatives of the Washington State Patrol and Adams County Sheriff's Office, Prosecuting Attorney's Office, District Court and commissioners. Their r...
RITZVILLE – Adams County’s labor force is getting smaller, but fewer people are unemployed. State Regional Labor Economist Donald Meseck recently released a report analyzing the changes in the Adams County labor market between 2022 and 2023. According to the report, Adams County’s unemployment rate fell by 0.01% December 2022 and December 2023. Looking at the county’s non-farm economy, the report noted that 160 new jobs were added in 2023, advancing to 6,630 from the 6,470 jobs recorded in 2022, an average annual increas...
RITZVILLE – The City Council pondered downtown development priorities, traffic impact fees, First Avenue road improvements and the Well 8 pump station during its Feb. 6 meeting. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Ritzville Downtown Development Association President John Rankin introduced himself to new council members and provided a brief history of the town’s economic vicissitudes. For 50 years, the Columbia Basin Highway went through downtown, he said. Then in 1939, Highway 10 came through, which moved the...
RITZVILLE – Dede Boyer couldn't stay idle for long. "I like to stay busy," she said. "When I was no longer on the City Council, I thought 'What am I going to do with myself?'" In a conversation with a friend, Boyer learned children are often bored in winter months. That got her thinking. "At first, I thought about establishing a roller skating rink, but there was no building big enough," she said. Then she recalled her prior involvement with a local theater troupe. "We used to...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Prosecuting Randy Flyckt isn’t satisfied with the current legislative environment and the state of Washington’s judicial system. He recently sat down with The Journal to explain how the system works and his dissatisfaction. “In this state, the highest constitutional court is the Supreme Court that sits in Olympia,” he said. Since the late 1960s, the state’s statutory appellate court has been divided into three divisions. Division I covers King County and northwestern Washington. Division II covers s...
RITZVILLE – Carnegie Library sponsored "Take Your Child to the Library Day" on Friday, Feb. 2. Staff members met children at various stations throughout the building. Alice in Wonderland, portrayed by Heather Carruth, passed out snacks and Kaiden Bell helped at the "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" alcove. As previously reported in The Journal, in the aftermath of COVID-19 shutdown mandates and recent staff turnover, the library has faced its share of challenges. "...
RITZVILLE – K. Peter Palubicki was happy with his job as Adams County chief deputy prosecuting attorney, a position he'd held since 2017. But on his wife's birthday last year, the 40-year-old learned that Superior Court Judge Steve Dixon was planning to retire. "Only four people applied for the position," Palubicki said. "So, I had pretty good odds." The process moved quickly. On Thursday, Dec. 14, Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Palubicki to the bench and he took the oath of o...
RITZVILLE – When Amber Moore and Karissa Scott were renting space at Kim Yaeger's Hair Center on Main Avenue, they learned that a building on North Washington Street had become available. Diane Swift, who practiced massage therapy in that space for years, had moved on. After a month remodeling the space, they opened in November. "Karissa does aesthetics and I offer PMU (permanent makeup)," Moore said. Scott's part of the business - Sweet Home Aesthetics - offers facials, w...
RITZVILLE - A new city councilman was sworn into office during a meeting Jan. 16. William Green took a seat on the City Council, filling the unexpired Ward No. 3 position left vacant when Scott Yaeger was elected mayor. At an earlier council meeting, Yaeger recommended the council approve Green to fill his remaining two-year term. Yaeger said he talked to a few people in Ward No. 3, a residential section of the city near Ritzville School District facilities, and received a...
RITZVILLE — City Council members unanimously agreed Jan. 2 to renew the city’s lease with Porky’s Clubhouse Grill for the municipal golf court clubhouse. The restaurant owner, Jackeline Pacheco, is an Arizona native who established the first Porky’s two years ago as a hot dog stand in Moses Lake. At the Ritzville site, Pacheco takes orders and relays them to her husband, Mario Flores, who prepares food in the kitchen. The city’s lease contract with Porky’s runs through calendar year 2024. But, as amended at the Jan. 16 cou...