Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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RITZVILLE - Two federal agencies are investigating the cause of an emergency aircraft landing Monday, July 15. The incident occurred at 11:45 a.m. when pilot, whose name has not been released, experienced engine problems en route from Spokane to Yakima, records show. The single-engine aircraft made an emergency landing in a field about a mile south of Pru Field. On the pilot was aboard; he was not injured. The incident was referred to the National Transportation Safety Board...
Dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries contribute greatly to the way of life here in Eastern Washington. So, when the federal government says it has reached an agreement on proposed revisions to the Columbia River Treaty with Canada, rural residents should say not so fast. On the surface, the “in principle” agreement announced last week looks good for Americans. Under the proposed changes, the U.S. will get to keep more of the power generated on our side of the bor...
Truck, truck, truck, Tesla. Truck, truck, truck. Here in rural Eastern Washington, the running joke is that the “T” on a Tesla electric vehicle stands for “tourist.” Indeed, the expensive cars, like their electric Toyota and Rivian counterparts, are an oddity easily picked out among rural residents’ pickups, four-wheel drives and older vehicles. But what some rural residents may not realize is that they are paying to charge many of those expensive EVs. Over the last couple ye...
RITZVILLE — A fugitive convicted of killing a baby was arrested here Friday, July 12, on a warrant for violating the terms of his parole. Jereme Joseph Bassett, 39, was arrested and transported to Yakima County, where he was booked into the jail, records show. As of press time, he was being held without bail. Bassett was sentenced to 15 years in prison in June 2010 after being convicted for second-degree murder of 7-month-old Neveah Miller, the daughter of his ex-girlfriend, records show. He was also convicted of a...
OLYMPIA – The Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to downgrade the state listing of wolves from endangered to sensitive when it meets virtually Friday, July 19. The meeting is scheduled to run from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and will be aired on TVW. The wolf discussion is planned for 10:15 a.m. The discussion on downgrading the state listing stems from a state Department of Fish and Wildlife finding that gray wolves no longer meet the criteria to be considered endangered. “The anticipated effects of the proposed rule ame...
HARPOLE - The sound of black powder rifles echoed through this remote Palouse River valley. Tents and tepees popped up along the bank. And the smell of Dutch oven cooking wafted through the air. A living history of pioneer life arose in this rural community Friday, Saturday and Sunday in this rural area off Manning Road, northwest of Colfax and southwest of Steptoe. The 34th annual Palouse Hills Muzzleloader Rendezvous put frontier life skills at the forefront of activities fo...
MESA — A Lind woman is facing charges related to an embezzlement case in Franklin County. Charmain Mary Halverson, 50, of Lind, was arrested June 26 on charges of theft, injury to public record, misappropriation by treasurer and official misconduct. She was arrested, booked into the Franklin County Jail and then released on bail. According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Halverson was the clerk-treasurer for the city of Mesa, where she allegedly used the city’s debit...
SPOKANE — Ratepayers who purchase electricity from Avista may have their power turned off on windy, hot summer days when utility officials deem fire danger high. According to company officials, Avista’s so-called “Public Safety Power Shutoff” plan is in response to summer conditions in Eastern Washington. When high winds are forecast, company employees may increase sensitivity on power lines, officials said. The increased sensitivity could lead to more and prolonged power outages. Officials said ratepayers will be notifie...
OTHELLO - A Wenatchee-based company is facing $353,000 in fines for safety violations that led to a worker being buried alive Sept. 21, 2023, when trench walls collapsed and buried him. Jose Antonio Vera Alvarez was injured in a trench cave in while working for Stemilt Ag Servicees, 2642 W. Yeisley Road. He and nine others were digging a 25-30-foot long, 5-foot-plus deep trench at the time of the incident. The state Department of Labor and Industries found that Stemilt failed...
Eastern Washington was a great place to grow up. We used to be able to use the parks and boat launches without additional fees. We were able to hike, boat, swim, camp and otherwise enjoy the recreational opportunities here without interference from pencil-pushing bureaucrats masquerading as “experts” in state jobs. We used to be able to enjoy our corner of the world without having to acquiesce to tribes expanding their political power off reservations. Those days are almost go...
RITZVILLE — Two people were arrested May 27 following a report of trespassers on a farm west of the city. Rosalyn Revelation Acar, 46, of Moses Lake, was arrested on multiple charges, including second-degree criminal trespassing, providing false/misleading information to law enforcement, and Benton County warrants for possession of a stolen vehicle, second-degree identity theft, second-degree burglary and failure to appear in court. Timothy A. Johnson, 46, of Spokane, was arrested by citation for second-degree criminal trespa...
LIND — The town will roar to life this weekend as the annual Lind Grand Parade and Combine Derby return to town. The action begins Friday with car and pickup truck racing. Locals and visitors alike with “run what they brung” to Lion’s Club Arena on state Highway 21. Racing is set to begin at 6 p.m. As of press time, racers were still able to get registered for the event by calling Eric Lund at 509-677-3432. Expect racers from across Whitman, Franklin, Adams, Lincoln, Spokane and other counties to be among the field. Saturda...
YAKIMA - Several Lind-Ritzville/Sprague tracksters brought medals home from the state 2B meet at Zaepfel Stadium from May 23-25. Zoe Galbreath posted the highest finish for the Broncos, finishing second and bringing home a silver medal in the pole vault. Zach Klein paced the boys, taking third-place and bringing home bronze in the 400-meter with a time of 52.43. Klein just missed a medal in the boys 200-meter, where he finished ninth in the preliminaries with a time of 23.30,...
Disappointingly, many Americans are worried about silly first-world problems like where to go boating or what to barbecue over the upcoming weekend. Too many view this upcoming three-day break as an excuse to eat, drink and party, never giving a thought as to why Memorial Day is observed. So while you’re anxiously awaiting the long weekend, take time to remember, understand and plan to observe Memorial Day. Memorial Day is dedicated to the men and women killed while serving i...
McALLEN, Texas - The U.S. Marshal's Service arrested an Adams County man Thursday, May 2, for the repeated sexual assault of an Ephrata girl he allegedly impregnated. Jesus Antonio Gutierrez-Guerrero, 26, of Othello, was booked in the McAllen, Texas, municipal jail, where he is being held without bail while awaiting extradition to Washington. He is wanted here on new charges of violation of a protection order and third-degree child rape after allegedly impregnating the girl,...
OTHELLO — A local orchard has received a grant to replace two windmills with a drone. Baird Orchards, 10664 Road E S.E., is among 18 projects to receive a total of about $2.3 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy for America Program grants for upgrading energy production. According to the ¬USDA, Baird Orchards will receive $90,981 to fund the replacement of two propane-powered wind machines with drones. Two Harrington-area farms — Rolinco Farm and Oestreich Farms JV — will also receive grants. At Baird...
RITZVILLE - A Spokane Valley man being tried in connection with an Adams County burglary case failed to return to court in the middle of his trial Thursday, April 25 As a result, the Adams County Sheriff's Office is seeking public assistance in locating John Michael Daigneault. 50, who was subsequently convicted in abstentia of burglary, court records show. Daigneault was one of two people arrested in connection with the burglary of an Odessa-area farm in the 1900 block of sta...
RITZVILLE - The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague track team had a strong showing Saturday, April 27, at their home Undeberg Invitational on Jimmy Snider Field. The Bronco girls finished fourth out of 21 teams with 62 points. Kittitas won the girls title with 75 pints, followed by Davenport with 64 and Reardan with 63. In the boys division, the Broncos tied for seventh with Liberty (Spangle), with 30 team points teach. Davenport won the boys title with 119 points. Rounding out the Top 6...
OLYMPIA — The state Department of Ecology has declared a statewide drought emergency for everywhere except cities with large storage basins. The drought update was issued Friday, April 19, with the agency predicting a warm, dry spring. According to the agency, the weather forecast will leave many watershed statewide with low water. The declaration allows state agencies to provide drought-related assistance in a more timely manner. Gov. Jay Inslee calked up this year’s forecast drought to global warming. “As our climate conti...
RITZVILLE - Despite splitting a doubleheader Saturday, April 20, with Asotin, the Bronco girls remained two games back in Northeast 2B fastpitch. The Broncos won the opening game 9-2, but lost the second game, 10-9. Asotin took a 2-1 first inning lead, but the Broncos took over the game in the bottom of the second for a 3-2 lead and keeping the Panthers off the scoreboard the rest of the game. The local girls added another run in the third, three in the fourth and two more in...
SPANGLE — The Broncos track and field struggled Wednesday, April 10, to gain traction as a team at a league meet at Liberty High School, but several local athletes put in solid individual performances. Valley Christian won both the boys and girls team titles, with the boys scoring 99.5 points and the girls scoring 122. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague was fifth in both, with 43 points in boys and 38 in girls team scoring. In individual results, junior John Stromberger won the boys javelin with a flight of 134-07.5, and the boys 4...
SPOKANE — Five grapplers from the Lind-Ritzville Marmots club reached the championships at the Jason Crawford Memorial Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, March 30. Four brought home a title in what is considered the youth wrestling’s “state” tournament across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Marmots winning their weight classes include 7-8-year-old girls Reece Glisson at 51-53 pounds and Quinn Glisson at 60-62 pounds. Local boys winning their weights are Javier Villa in the 126-132-pound class in the ages 9/10 divisio...
RITZVILLE — A Kennewick woman and Othello man are in jail after being arrested in connection with burglaries and car thefts. Miyah Marie Lancaster, 22, of Kennewick, and Dexter Eugene Wallace, 38, were both arrested March 26 and remained in jail at press time. Lancaster was booked into the Franklin County Jail on charges of second-degree arson, five counts of theft of a motor vehicle, four counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, three counts of first-degree burglary and four counts of first-degree trafficking stolen p...
RITZVILLE — Police are trying to identify suspects who slashed the tires on multiple vehicles on the south side of town Saturday, March 30. “There have been approximately 30 separate incident of tires being slashed,” the police department posted on its social media on Sunday. Residents have provided police with several leads, with two juvenile suspects having been identified, police said. Investigators are also looking for social media accounts of the suspected perpetrators. “Search warrants are being requested for social...
OLYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a bill into law to allow for water right modifications in the Columbia Basin Project area. Authored by Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, House Bill 1752 authorizes the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to apply and obtain approval for water-right modifications and provides farmers flexibility as new pumping systems are developed to save the Odessa Aquifer. The new law goes into effect June 6. According to Dye, efficient use of federal water would assist i...
