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Articles written by Drew Lawson


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  • Three men killed in Harrington crash

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Jun 17, 2024

    HARRINGTON – Three Davenport men were killed in a car crash on Harrington-Tokio Road on Friday, June 7. Alan Kysar, 26, Braedon Efraimson, 26, and Blake Wilson, 24, all of Davenport, succumbed to their injuries in the two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Mohler Road at approximately 8:30 p.m, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office reported. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, though the Sheriff’s Office believes that an unidentified driver traveling east on Mohler Road ran a stop sign at the Harri...

  • Woman injured in Sprague crash

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Jun 17, 2024

    SPRAGUE — One woman was injured in a crash one mile east of the city early Monday, June 17. According to a press release from Washington State Patrol, Burnadette C. Yates, 25, of Moxee, was injured and airlifted to a Spokane medical center after the green 2001 Toyota Tacoma she was driving left the roadway on Interstate 90 eastbound at Milepost 246. The vehicle was pulled into soft gravel, rolled and came to rest in the median around 3:11 a.m. Monday, according to the patrol. No other vehicles or passengers were involved. C...

  • Federal warrant served on Sprague man

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Apr 23, 2024

    DAVENPORT—The trial of a Sprague defendant in a criminal sex case has been continued again. This time, the trial of Jonathan Ray Stocker, 42, of Sprague, was continued because he was served with a federal warrant. Stocker is being held in the Lincoln County Jail. Stocker is already charged with five counts of first-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit. The new federal warrant was issued f...

  • Crawford crowned Miss Harrington

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Apr 23, 2024

    HARRINGTON -Joining the legacy left by her two older sisters, local junior Samantha Crawford was crowned Miss Harrington 2024 in a coronation ceremony Sunday, April 14. Crawford, 16, is the third member of her family to wear the Miss Harrington crown. Older sisters Lexi Crawford and Allie Crawford also wore the titles in 2020 and 2022, respectively. "It's really cool," Samantha Crawford said. "It shows that the Crawfords are a part of the town." Samantha Crawford is the first...

  • Community turbine meeting set for Harrington

    Drew Lawson, The Ritzville Adams County Journal|Updated Mar 25, 2024

    HARRINGTON - Those closely following proposed wind turbine project developments will have a chance to learn more about various community viewpoints and issues soon. The Lincoln County Cattlemen's Association is sponsoring a community meeting at the Harrington Opera House to help educate the public at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26. Moderator Sue Lani Madsen said the meeting's purpose is to establish a "baseline of information" and attempt to answer questions citizens have. "We want...

  • Harrington man injured in crash

    Drew Lawson, The Record-Times|Updated Mar 6, 2024

    HARRINGTON—A local man was injured in a one-car rollover crash three miles east of the city on State Highway 28 Monday, March 4. Francis M. Pate, 59, of Harrington was injured after his gray 2000 Toyota Camry left the Highway and rolled multiple times near milepost 120 of the Highway around 5:43 p.m. Monday, according to a release from Washington State Patrol. The Patrol reported that the Camry stopped 60 feet off the roadway and Pate was ejected from the vehicle. He was injured and transported to Sacred Heart Medical C...

  • Counties discuss electing coroner

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Feb 27, 2024

    DAVENPORT —County Commissioners in Lincoln and Adams Counties are opposed to their counties holding an elected coroner position. Commissioners from the neighboring counties met here Monday, Feb. 26 to discuss House Bill 1326. The bill was passed in 2021 and discusses coroners and medical examiners. Two sections of the bill take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Section 4 states that every county should have an elected county coroner, except in counties with less than 40,000 residents. There, the county legislative authority may d...

  • Bronco boys eliminated at Districts

    Drew Lawson, The Record-Times|Updated Feb 13, 2024

    SPOKANE VALLEY-The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague boys basketball team saw their season come to an end last week. The Broncos fell to Davenport 62-56 in a thrilling overtime loser-out game at the District 7 2B Tournament at West Valley High School Wednesday, Feb. 7. LRS led most of the game, albeit by margins no higher than seven points. The Broncos took a 17-11 lead in the first quarter behind seven points and five boards from Shawn Steinberger and a pair of threes from Brock Kinch....

  • Bronco boys blitzed

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Feb 6, 2024

    SPOKANE VALLEY-The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague boys basketball team hung around in the first half, but ultimately couldn't match the firepower and depth of Northwest Christian (Colbert) this past weekend. The Crusaders topped the Broncos, 67-46, in the District 7 Northeast 2B quarterfinals at West Valley High School on Saturday, Feb. 3. Northwest Christian showed its offensive firepower from the tip, pouring in 18 first quarter points. The Broncos hung around, scoring 11 points...

  • Lind-Ritzville falls in Davenport

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Jan 23, 2024

    DAVENPORT- The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington basketball teams struggled Jan. 16 against the Gorillas. In the girls game, Davenport pulled away in the second half for a 48-39 triumph. The local boys couldn't get past the Gorillas, falling 54-44. In the girls game, the first half was a defensive slugfest, with neither team finding much offense. Glenna Soliday was the exception, as she poured in 13 first-half points as Davenport took a slim 21-19 lead into...

  • Davenport appeals WIAA classification

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Jan 9, 2024

    DAVENPORT—The School District joined 11 others in challenging the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association on Class 2B athletics enrollment criteria. The Davenport appeal was filed Dec. 22, with school officials reluctantly seeking a review of enrollment criteria in a quest to potentially drop into the 1B athletics classification. The Davenport Gorillas are currently in the Northeast 2B league with Lind-Ritzville, Reardan, Colfax, Liberty and other schools. WIAA classifies 2B schools as those with 105-224 high s...

  • One killed in crash east of Sprague

    Drew Lawson, The Record-Times|Updated Dec 12, 2023

    SPRAGUE — One man was killed and two women were injured in a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 90 about four miles east of the city Thursday, Dec. 7. Angel A. Cuevas, 22, George was pronounced deceased after being transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center, according to a release from Washington State Patrol. Litzy J. Arvivo, 22, Merced, California and Maira A. Guillen Baeza, 26, Moses Lake, were injured in the crash and also transported to Sacred Heart, the release said. According to the release, a gold 2002 Saturn Vue d...

  • The 10 best, worst Christmas songs

    Drew Lawson|Updated Dec 5, 2023

    As soon as the turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes are put away on Thanksgiving, it's officially time to turn the holiday calendar to Christmas. Notice I didn't mention mashed potatoes in the list of Thanksgiving foods. That's because mashed potatoes are the worst dish served in a classic Thanksgiving meal. Think that's a controversial opinion? Good. That was just a setup for this column that leans into the Christmas spirit by sharing the 10 best and 10 worst Christmas songs....

  • Sprague voters cast ballots in election

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Nov 14, 2023

    SPRAGUE — Voters here had three local races or measures on their ballots this general election and made their voices heard Tuesday, Nov. 7. In a contested race for City Councilmember No. 5, Jeffrey Smith held a semi-narrow lead over RonDel Krauter 56 votes to 44. City residents were slimly voting to pass an EMS levy after first count, with 60 voters favoring the levy and 43 voters against the levy. In a contested Cemetery District No. 7 Commissioner No. 3 race, Larae Rodriguez had a lopsided 123-36 lead over Thomas P...

  • Incumbents trail in Harrington races

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Nov 14, 2023

    HARRINGTON—Two challengers are leading incumbents in contested races for the Harrington School Board, though one race was more lopsided than the other after first returns were announced Tuesday, Nov. 7. Challenger Britney Wagner leads incumbent Darren Mattozzi 170 votes to 64 in the race for Director No. 1. “I was very shocked to see how many people support me in this new endeavor,” Wagner said. “I really thought it was going to be a closer race.” Wagner, a stay-at-home mother and substitute teacher with the school district,...

  • Violence charges dropped against Harrington teacher

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Nov 7, 2023

    HARRINGTON — A local music teacher was cleared of domestic violence charges during a court appearance Thursday, Oct. 26. Seth Michael Bergman, 33, has been cleared of two charges -- fourth-degree assault-domestic violence and malicious mischief-domestic violence. He was arrested on accusations he slammed a door into his girlfriend and injured her forearm during an argument in a Harrington home Saturday, July 29. According to Lincoln County District Court records, the state moved to dismiss the charges pursuant to the a...

  • Broncos lose first game, 3-1

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Oct 24, 2023

    DAVENPORT-Taking advantage of a Lind-Ritzville/Sprague team down Zoe Galbreath, the Gorillas handed the Broncos their first loss outside tournament play of the season with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory Tuesday, Oct. 17. Set scores were 25-16, 23-25, 21-25, 23-25. But the Broncos returned to win column Thursday, Oct. 19, sweeping Jenkins, 3-0. At Davenport (7-5), the Gorillas had trouble finding their footing at the start of the match and the Broncos (12-1) jumped out to a...

  • Harrington teacher receives scholarship

    Drew Lawson, The Record-Times|Updated Sep 5, 2023

    HARRINGTON - A secondary English teacher here was one of just 70 teachers nationwide to receive the Fulbright Scholarship as part of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. Maria Preston, who just began her eighth year teaching seventh through 12th graders English/Language Arts here and lives in Spokane, learned she received the award in early July. "I feel very honored," Preston said. "It took a while to hear back, so by the end of June I thought I wasn't going...

  • Incumbents ahead in Odessa

    Drew Lawson, The Ritzville Adams County Journal|Updated Aug 1, 2023

    ODESSA — Incumbents held comfortable leads over their opponents in local races for Mayor and Councilmember No. 5 after the first ballot count in the primary election Tuesday, Aug. 1. Incumbent mayor Bill Crossley had 162 votes. Second-place Jeremy Smith had 37 votes, while Ed Hayden was third with 22 votes. Meanwhile, incumbent councilwoman Marlene Kramer garnered 114 votes. Laura Caler had 73 votes, while Michael Igo had 33 votes. Races are much tighter in Harrington and Sprague. In Harrington, Gavin Wagner holds a slim l...

  • Harrington music teacher arrested, jailed

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Aug 1, 2023

    HARRINGTON - A local music teacher was arrested over the weekend and appeared in Lincoln County District Court Monday, July 31. 33-year-old Seth Michael Bergman of Harrington was arrested on charges of fourth-degree assault and third-degree malicious mischief for allegedly slamming a door into his girlfriend multiple times and minorly injuring her forearm while breaking the door frame during an argument in a Harrington home Saturday, July 29, according to police records....

  • Bergman given 15 years in prison

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Jun 6, 2023

    A Moses Lake man has been sentenced in the September murder of his wife near Edwall. Charles R. Bergman, 55, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Lincoln County Superior Court on Tuesday, May 30. He was also sentenced to three years of community custody after his prison sentence by Judge Jeffrey S. Barkdull. Bergman was originally charged with first-degree murder, after being extradited from Pennsylvania to Lincoln County by U.S....

  • Harrington mayor not seeking re-election

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated May 30, 2023

    HARRINGTON — There will be a new mayor in town after the start of the new year. Current Mayor Jesse Silhan announced on his 75th birthday — Friday, May 19 — that he isn’t seeking re-election after his two-year term expires this year. “On my birthday, I let people know ... over a piece of pizza and a glass of water at the Harrington Haus,” he said. Silhan was elected and took the seat Dec. 31, 2021. “I’ve just decided I’m going to spend a little more time being a 75-year-old man,” Silhan said. “I’ll still be living in Harr...

  • Harrington Car Show

    Drew Lawson|Updated May 30, 2023

    Young and old, man and animal, filled Third Street in Harrington for the 11th Annual Car Show on Saturday, May 20. In addition to cars - that ranged from pre-1920s to modern rigs - lining downtown, businesses and vendors were open. The event was part of a busy weekend here, which also hosted the Lincoln County Youth Soccer season-ending tournament Saturday and Sunday....

  • Harrington school leader to retire

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated May 30, 2023

    HARRINGTON—The first-year school district superintendent here will “explore” retirement at the end of the school year. John Cordell of St. Maries, Idaho, plans to depart the School District when his contract expires Friday, June 30. The 59-year-old Cordell, who is also the superintendent of the Tekoa School District, arrived here at the beginning of the school year. He also plans to retire from his position in Tekoa, in Whitman County. “The ESD approached me about coming out and helping here,” Cordell said. “I still enjoy...

  • Multiple schools get bomb threat

    Drew Lawson, The Journal|Updated Apr 18, 2023

    ST. JOHN - Whitman County deputies checked out schools in St. John, Endicott, LaCrosse and Lamont on Wednesday, April 12, following a bomb threat sent to 44 districts acrosss the state. Nearby Colfax, Davenport, Wilbur and Creston also received threats. Lamont didn't receive a threat, but deputies checked the campus anyway. Bomb-sniffing dogs from Fairchild Air Force Base assisted small communities. Most of the campuses were locked down; only a couple sent students home. The...

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