Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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On Tuesday, the St. John-Endicott Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Tigercats in St. John with three back-to-back sets – 25-21, 25-19 and 25-20. While the scoreboard was in favor of SJE, the LaCrosse-Washtucna athletes did well on the court, according to head coach Sarah Mayer. “The girls covered the block well, which we have been working on and I was pleased with their digging,” she said. “We will continue to work hard and have fun. The girls did a good job!” Logan Harder led the...
Adams County successfully completed an independent audit conducted by the Washington State Auditor’s Office. The audit included a financial statement audit and federal grant compliance audit. Results of the audit were shared with elected officials and the Adams County Commissioners on Sept. 6 during the exit conference. Leading the exit interview were audit manager Kent Zirker and audit lead Brian Giles, who handled the on-site process. According to exit conference information distributed by the team, the audit revealed no d... Full story
The farm display at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 26 in Washtucna is taking shape with the recent installation of a fence where a combine, jail and other farm items are in place. This portion was completed by a roster of volunteers including Ken, Michelle, Clifford and James Plumb, Jay Lasen, Wendy Edwards, Kim Schafer, Byron and Levi Allen, Fred and Arthur Blauert, Lloyd Stoess, Mike Ebert, Chance Parke, Joe Chimiente, Justin Camp, Nick Johnston, Wayne Johnston, Tooter Hays, Ron Johnston and Grant...
The strategic planning process for Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 is nearly complete, according to a report presented at the Aug. 25 board meeting. Hospital district board chairman Kirk Danekas said a committee was charged with reviewing and possibly integrating public input submitted during a comment period. The committee met three times in August. “They have taken the strategic plan a part and reassembled it, and that will be presented to the board in the near future,” Danekas said. He added that a special boa... Full story
Part of a beautification project is completed in downtown Washtucna through the efforts of a local organization and numerous donations. The Washtucna Classic Auto Show launched a project in July to help beautify the town. Using funds from the car show garnered from a roster of volunteers and business sponsors, the south side of the old drug store across from the town’s farm display at the intersection of Main Street and Spring Avenue was pressure washed and painted in primer.... Full story
Hospital district commissioner Joyce Preston offered information about a fund that has been misinterpreted by some residents during the regular board meeting on Aug. 25. She explained that she had met with Adams County Treasurer Laura Danekas, who provided background information as well as explained various accounting procedures and industry acronyms in regard to the district’s funded depreciation. “I did research because we’ve had so much disinformation and questions about our ‘secret fund’ that we don’t have. I spent a cou...
Sarah Mayer is a Whitman County graduate who has chosen to remain in the area as an educator in the Washtucna School District. This year, she’s joined the ranks of athletic mentors as she prepares the LaCrosse-Washtucna Lady Tigercats’ volleyball team for the upcoming season. Armed with her own experience as a four-year high school volleyball athlete at Tekoa-Oakesdale that included three state tournaments, she has spent the past few weeks working with 12 young athletes as well as learning the ropes as head coach. The rol...
A 267-pound hog was the highlight of the annual Junior Livestock Sale held last weekend during the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair. With the sixth hog in the sale arena, Kierstin Witt’s parade around the arena was extended after initially purchased by Schoesler Farms for $2.50 per pound and turned for sale again. Butch Booker of the Booker Auction Company then launched a fundraising auction in memory of Dorothy Schoesler, longtime auction and livestock supporter. Gary and Ronna Galbreath purchased the hog for $500 and tur... Full story
A matriarch of two pioneer families will take a spin through downtown Ritzville this Saturday as the grand marshal in the community parade. The Ritzville Festivals Association will host the annual Ritzville Community Parade, with the younger generation parading through downtown at 10:45 a.m. and the main parade beginning at 11 a.m. Alma (Scott) Galbreath has watched numerous fairs and parades as a lifelong resident of Ritzville. She remembers parades that followed the same... Full story
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office received the go-ahead to replace 30 handguns for its law enforcement officers. The Adams County Commissioners approved a proposal by consensus to acquire 30 Smith & Wesson 40-calibur handguns on Aug. 22. There are currently 30 firearms that are out of service because they are worn out. According to Sheriff Doug Barger, some of the firearms currently in use are reaching their lifespan and starting to malfunction. Sheriff Doug Barger and Undersheriff John Hunt presented information based on r... Full story
The Ritzville branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) was recently recognized at the 2011 AAUW National Convention in Washington, D.C., for achieving first place in total branch giving to the AAUW Action Fund. Marsha Smith and Mary Nell Mason accepted the award at the 2011 AAUW-WA Leadership Conference at Central Washington University on July 30. According to AAUW Action Fund’s website at http://aauwaction.org, “The AAUW Action Fund advances equity for women and girls through member activism and voter mob...
Lind residents recently received a letter from the Lind Health Center, Inc. about its future plans for the building it owns in Lind and who will provide medical services at the site. According to the letter, “The Board of Directors of Lind Health Center, Inc. is currently working with Dr. Charles M. Sackmann and Dr. Valerie Eckley to reopen the clinic as soon as possible. The contract with East Adams Rural Hospital was terminated on June 28.” The Lind Health Center, Inc. (LHC) is asking residents for financial assistance to...
Wheat, stubble and rangeland were the only casualties of three different fires last weekend in the Ritzville area. Firefighters spent between two and three hours Sunday afternoon on a blaze that started near milepost 214 on Interstate 90. Seven trucks responded to the 12:33 p.m. fire that torched 25 acres to the northeast of the freeway. Adams County Fire Protection District No. 1 Chief Scott Kembel said it is unknown what caused the fire. Friday crews battled a pair of blazes...
The Relay For Life of Ritzville committee will meet Monday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. at Best Western Bronco Inn to wrap up this year’s event. Committee members and team captains need to attend. Agenda items include discussion of this year’s event, suggestions/comments received and the 2012 event. In addition, total amounts raised by each team will be announced. Anyone who is interested in joining the 2012 committee is encouraged attend the Aug. 22 meeting. Preliminary cal...
A Ritzville event has celebrated its last hurrah after 18 years of bringing top-notch, national blues music to the downtown area. The Ritzville Blues, Brews and BBQs committee voted to discontinue the event after about seven hours of discussion on July 31 at the annual exit meeting. It was a difficult conclusion for committee members to arrive at, especially when most have been involved with the event for more than 10 years, but in the end it was a decision based on the current situation of funding sources getting fewer and c... Full story
Lind School Board members met last Thursday night for a budget work session prior to the regular meeting to discuss the coming year’s budget. During the regular board meeting, board members unanimously approved a resolution to set the final appropriation level of expenditures for the 2011-2012 school year based on 190 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. The 2010-2011 budget was also based on 190 FTE students. The resolution set expenditure limits for the general fund at $3,387,429 and $43,900 for the Associated Student B...
Several elected officers did not receive filings during the candidate filing week in June. A special three-day filing period is slated for Aug. 8-10, 2011. All interested persons will need to complete a declaration of candidacy form during that time. The declaration can be completed: • In person at the Adams County Auditor’s Office, 210 West Broadway Avenue in Ritzville during office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. • Online at http://www.co.adams.wa.us • By mail – Interested persons may contact the auditor’s...
A decision to lease three Peterbilt tractors with the option of purchase for solid waste transportation will save Adams County nearly $8 per ton per year, according to Adams County Public Works Director Todd O’Brien. “Generally speaking that equates to a considerable amount of money,” O’Brien said during the morning session on July 18. “It is my recommendation to enter into a 60 month lease with PacLease. I think it’s best to lease right now so we don’t have to make the capital purchase right now.” The Adams County Board of...
The entrance to Washtucna at the juncture of Highways 26 and 261 is getting a facelift. After about two years of efforts, a major component was hauled into place on July 19. A John Deere 36B combine thresher was transported by J & A Chimienti Trucking, LLC, of Spokane after Bob and Linda Gillis, former Washtucna residents, donated the historic piece of farm equipment for the display. A small group of volunteers maneuvered the combine into place and lined up the header, which...
The 2011-2012 school year will start with a few changes in the Ritzville School District through reductions in force, retirements and new hires. The Ritzville School Board reduced educators by 1.84 through a reduction in force (RIF), eliminating the positions filled by Heidi Nygren and Kim Weishaar as well as reducing Susan Schafer to half time. During the board meeting on July 18, board members approved the resignation of Jim Way as a bus garage mechanic. In addition, the board approved hiring Lindsey Ross as the P-12...
The Ritzville School Board unanimously approved the 2011-2012 district budget on July 18 following a brief budget hearing where no public comment was received. The final appropriation level of expenditures for the general fund is $4,256,640; capital projects fund $15,000; debt service fund $375,119; Associated Student Body fund $158,107; and transportation vehicle fund $49,862. This year’s budget is based on 280 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, a reduction of 15 FTEs from the previous budget, and a beginning fund b...
Sharing superintendents is the current trend for a handful of area schools, and joining the list are the Ritzville and Lind School Districts. Leading the two districts into this new arrangement is Rob Roettger (pronounced red-ker). Lind and Ritzville School District directors approved a contract with Roettger in March. Roettger jumped in with both feet as soon as he started acquainting himself with the two school districts. He’s met with most of the employees in both d...
The Washtucna Classic Auto Show is taking on a project to help beautify the town. Using funds from the car show, organizer Cliff Plumb is seeking suggestions and/or photographs of possible mural topics to paint on the side of a building. Some work is already completed on the south side of the old drug store across from the town’s farm display at the intersection of Main Street and Spring Avenue. The surface has already been pressure washed. The next step is to apply primer prior to starting the mural. Monies garnered from t...
The traditional community gathering at Bassett Park for the Fourth of July featured homemade treats in the potluck, a medieval/early renaissance re-creation, horseshoe tournament and more. Several members of the Duchy of Brunico chose to remain in Washtucna after a local ‘war’ the weekend prior and present a medieval/early renaissance re-creation. According to the organization’s website, “The Adrian Empire is dedicated to the study and re-creation of Western European culture...
A La Grande, Ore., resident succumbed to injuries sustained in a serious two-vehicle accident Monday 23 miles south of Ritzville on southbound U.S. 395 at milepost 73. Hailey M. Pearce, 25, was transported by Northwest MedStar to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland after driving into a vehicle driven by Robert O. Pence, 67, of Lind, who was following a combine at 20 mph. Pearce, who died at 7:22 p.m. on Monday, was the head volleyball coach for Eastern Oregon University. Emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle accident...