Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce is continuing to utilize the new city branding by starting promotion for an upcoming Harvest Fest event. Harvest Fest will span through the entire month of September, and any local events can be promoted in coordination with the festival. The Harvest Fest promotions will begin in August, prior to the start of the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair (WLCF) and Ritzville Rodeo, which occurs over Labor Day weekend. The Harvest Fest event comes after the Ritzville Chamber created the Spring Fest d...
The Adams County Hospital District No. 2 Hospital Board of Commissioners continued discussion on recruitment, as well as discussing upcoming changes to the healthcare industry and the current financial report for the District. CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom provided information regarding Washington State House Bill 1520, and the upcoming disbursement of funds for hospital districts within Washington Rural Health Access Preservation (WRHAP). Each of the 13 districts within WRHAP will receive $145,048, and the funds will be released at...
After a farming legacy built around wheat production, a new crop is slated for potential harvest in Adams County. NRG Renew is proposing a wind farm to be constructed in eastern Adams County, with development benefitting multiple taxing districts. Approximately 25 landowners have agreed to lease land for the proposed Rattlesnake Flat Wind Farm Project, with the construction area slated from Providence Road to Cunningham Road, and Highway 21 to Highway 261. The permit includes...
The Lind and Ritzville School Boards reviewed the exit process currently underway at Lind-Ritzville High School, as well as moved forward with plans for the upcoming school year during the meeting on June 25. The initial agenda for the meeting included the approval of a rental contract with the Lind Community Church, but the item was immediately tabled at the start of the meeting with discussion regarding the matter to occur at a special board meeting. The Ritzville School Board will hold a special board meeting on Monday,...
The annual Lind Field Day at the Lind Experiment Station allowed farmers with an opportunity to visit the research field plots and learn about alternatives to current practices on June 14. While farmers continued to receive updates on winter and spring wheat breeding, those in attendance benefitted from the additional research conducted for winter peas and triticale as alternatives in crop rotation for the dryland areas. Howard Nelson from the Highline Grain Growers spoke...
Eastern Washington residents will no longer have to travel a long distance to purchase a firearm, but now can utilize a local resource to help complete the transaction. Ritzville resident Charles Jingling recently obtained his federal firearms license (FFL), which allows him to legally assist with firearm transactions. Jingling has been considering obtaining the license for nearly 10 years, as there is not a place locally where residents can complete a firearms transaction....
Amongst the large crowd packed into Gilson Gymnasium on June 2, 40 individuals proudly stood out as they took a step towards their future after receiving their diploma from Lind-Ritzville High School. Family and friends gathered in the gym, with nearly standing room only, to celebrate the achievements of the local scholars and recognize them for their individual and collective success. The 40 LRHS graduates received a collective $396,393 in scholarships to pursue their future...
The Lind-Ritzville School Boards of Directors unanimously approved the athletic combine agreement for Lind-Ritzville/Sprague-Lamont/Washtucna-Kahlotus during the May 29 meeting. During the meeting, the Directors also unanimously approved to add cross country as an official sport offered through the high school programs. The athletic combine agreement shows the high school sports programs shall be referred to as Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos, while middle school sports will be identified as Lind-Ritzville/Lamont Bulldogs....
The Adams County Hospital District No. 2 Board of Commissioners discussed future recruitment for physicians, continuing write-offs and approved for East Adams Rural Healthcare to become a smoke-free campus during the May 24 meeting. EARH recently interviewed and offered a position to a doctor, which the physician ultimately declined to take a position in Idaho instead. Commissioner John Kragt voiced his concern about the ability to attract a physician who is interested in doing both clinic and ER work. Kragt said he believed...
The Ritzville Museum Volunteers hosted their annual meeting on May 15, and welcomed new volunteers and board members to the nonprofit organization. With over 25 people at the meeting, it was the highest attendance at the meeting in years. With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, the Burroughs Home and the Train Depot will open their doors to visitors. Volunteers are responsible for opening the museums and showing visitors around during hours of operation. Starting Memorial Day weekend and running until Labor Day weekend, the...
Students at Lind-Ritzville High School attended an assembly on May 14 to start discussions and awareness regarding substance abuse and mental health as part of National Prevention Week. Coordinated by school nurse Aimee Schell, the students will spend the week learning about one topic or issue that high school students face, the negative effects surrounding those topics and the ways the students can continue to live healthy lifestyles. National Prevention Week runs from May...
At 21 locations across the state of Washington, participants of the Rural Pathways to Prosperity conference on May 9 gathered to discuss and learn about the importance of career connected learning for young people. The topic was a follow-up discussion from the Governor’s Summit after attendees wanted to know how to attract and connect young employees to the work force in rural communities. New America Deputy Director for the Center on Education and Skills Brent Parton spoke first regarding the power of networks and people i...
During a special meeting of the Adams County Board of Commissioners Hospital District No. 2 on May 4, the three commissioners present made the decision for East Adams Rural Healthcare to join an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). At the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners, two commissioners were absent and the determination was to not move forward with the decision until their opinions were taken into consideration. The two commissioners, John Kragt and Ross Heimbigner, attended the special meeting with Chairman E...
Effective June 1, 2018, The Ritzville Adams County Journal will be increasing subscription rates, as well as the cost of an individual newspaper. This change comes after years of discussion, and the need for the business to match the increasing rates of paper, salaries and postage required to produce the weekly product. The store copy rate for the newspaper will increase to $.75, beginning with The Journal’s June 7 edition. The last time The Journal increased store copy rates was in 1993. The newspaper will continue to be c...
In the absence of two commissioners, the Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 board decided to postpone the decision to join an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). As the primary discussion item for the April 26 meeting, the commissioners agreed to delay the decision until the May meeting due to the absence of commissioners John Kragt and Ross Heimbigner. The ACO discussion began during the February board meeting following a presentation by Caravan Health’s Sue Deitz. CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom said during the initial m...
The Knuth Building played host to a large turnout of supporters for the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair annual Wampum dinner and auction event. The building was packed to the brim with local attendees on Saturday evening, who joined together to support a cause that is important to the youth in the communities of Lind, Ritzville and Washtucna. The April 28 event helped to raise more than $7,000 for the local fair from the live and silent auction bids. Tickets for the event were ne...
Following in his father’s footsteps, Cory Bartlett is the newest business owner to join the Ritzville downtown district. With the opening of Gigamedics, Bartlett brings a computer shop back to a storefront in Ritzville, and will provide computer sales, repair and service. He will be sharing the office space with the Express Yourself Tye Dye and More shop on the corner of Main and Division, and provides both in office and location based services. Bartlett said he feels f...
The Lind and Ritzville School Boards participated in discussions involving the end of year plans for the local school districts. During the April 23 meeting, the board members also inquired about moving the Lind-Ritzville High School students from Ritzville to the middle school building in Lind. LRHS Principal Ronanda Liberty said school administrators are working diligently to create a master schedule for classes next year. In the absence of the school counselor, a counselor team from Othello has agreed to assist the distric...
The City of Ritzville Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit based on the Ritzville School District’s application for construction, following a staff review and presentation during the April 11 meeting. A public hearing was held during the same meeting in compliance with the project. Studio Cascade was contracted by the City of Ritzville to complete the staff report. The city is currently without a building official and utilized Studio Cascade to complete the review. Studio Cascade’s report did not...
As a major discussion point over the past few of years, the Lind Town Council members unanimously approved a marijuana ban within town limits during the regular meeting on April 10. The ordinance prohibits the production, processing, retailing and distribution of marijuana products within the Town of Lind. Ordinance No. 18-04 was originally drafted to address I-502, which Washington voters passed in November 2012. After the Washington State Liquor Control Board approved the final rules regarding the law, the Town of Lind...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague tennis team returned to the courts to compete against Harrington, Davenport and Reardan. The weather has provided the Broncos with challenging outings, as well as forcing them to cancel matches, but that has not stopped the team’s success on the court. The Broncos faced Harrington on March 27 in a nonleague match, and recorded wins for both the boys and girls teams. The Bronco girls won the match 4-1, while the boys secured a 3-1 victory. Head C...
The Lind-Ritzville Ag Issues team presented five separate public presentations in preparation for their competition at the Washington State FFA Convention in Pullman on May 10-12. The Ag Issues team selected school lunches as their topic and focused on the government guidelines for school lunches, as well as how those restrictions are implemented at the local schools. The Ag Issues team members are Lacey Miller, Morgan Brausen, Ashlynn Norton, Conrad Ziemer and Brooke Koch. The team competed at the District Convention at the...
Trade issues, water and tax reform were the primary topics during a community leaders meeting with Congressman Dan Newhouse on April 3 in Ritzville. The meeting was followed by a tour of downtown Ritzville, where Newhouse met one-on-one with business owners to discuss the challenges they currently face. At the meeting, Ritzville Public Authority (RPA) Member Erika Hennings addressed Newhouse about the current trade issues. As an agricultural community, Ritzville would be...
The Lady Broncos softball team came ready to play in a league contest against Asotin on March 31 in Ritzville. Their initial intensity faltered in the second game of the doubleheader, leading to Lind-Ritzville/Sprague splitting the games with the Lady Panthers. Head Coach Todd O’Brien the team had a strong win in the first game, but will need to remain patient and focused if they want to be successful in both games of upcoming doubleheaders. The Lady Broncos have been p...
Accounts receivable collection and clarification stood as the primary discussion for the Adams County Hospital District No. 2 Board of Commissioners during the March 22 meeting. The District recently hired three additional staff members to work in the billing department and assist with payment collection for bills less than 90 days. Inland Northwest is currently contracted with the Hospital District for collection of bills over 90 days. CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom reported the hospital’s current AR days are 192.77, which is an i...