Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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OLYMPIA – Adams County — including the cities of Lind, Othello, Ritzville and Washtucna — is among 13 proposed construction projects to receive Broadband Infrastructure Acceleration grants from the Washington State Broadband Office. The projects are aimed at providing reliable high-speed Internet access to unserved and underserved communities across the state. According to the state Department of Commerce, which oversees the grant process, Adams County is set to receive $10.3 million in funding for a project expected to cost...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague junior-varsity girls basketball team kicked off an afternoon of hoops in Gilson Gymnasium on Saturday with a game against St. George's....
RITZVILLE – The right lane of westbound Interstate 90 and the Schoessler Road off-ramp were closed Monday, Jan. 24 for approximately 10 hours following a crash. The trouble started around 4:40 a.m. when a tractor-trailer overturned near the freeway exit., officials said. Temperatures at the time were in the mid-20s and ice and freezing fog were in the area. Westbound oversize loads were detoured off the freeway at Tokio Exit 231, and routed down Danekas Road, to the S...
OTHELLO – A Central Washington health officer has issued an “order” for coronavirus restrictions at scholastic sporting events in Adams County. Grant-Adams County Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny issued his so-called order Jan. 10, recommending updated COVID-19 rules for scholastic sports. He listed six points of guidance for school athletic and extracurricular events. Failure to comply will “result in the inability for those school districts to host spectators at their athletic and extracurricular events,” he wrote. Wh...
RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague basketball teams saw their first action in nearly 2 weeks Friday night, January 21, in a rescheduled matchup with Northwest Christian, at Gilson Gym in Ritzville. The boys' varsity team lost to the Crusaders 56-51. Hunter Dinkins and Chase Galbreath had 15 points each in the loss. Northwest Christian leaves with an overall record of 9-7, 6-2 in league play. The girls' varsity team fared better, beating the Crusaders by a score of 5...
RITZVILLE LAND TRANSACTIONS RITZVILLE — Adams County reported the following land transactions between Jan. 14-21: Jan. 21 From Linda J. Young of Othello, 980 Cobblestone Ave., Othello, to Mixli R. Gonzalez of Othello, $250,000. Jan. 18 From Beto Y. Yadi LLC of Connell, 1007 Pine Ave., Ritzville, to Timothy and Agnes Marie Jude and Ronald and Beverly Shafer of Ritzville, $200,000. Jan. 15 From Jose A. Arreola, representative of the estate of Maria G. Arreola, of Ephrata, 610 Lilac Place, Othello, to Luis F. and Victoria G. L...
OTHELLO – Newly elected Adams County Local Emergency Planning Committee officers are Chairperson, Rosenda Henley of People for People, Vice-Chair, Ruben Pruneda of Simplot and Secretary, Brad Horst of Othello Community Hospital. During a committee meeting January 20, Adams County Emergency Management Director, Sandi Duffey, reported there were no hazardous materials incidents in Adams County since the last meeting (December). Duffey reported there were 234 incidents across the State in 2021. Andy Brown of the National W...
RITZVILLE – A Wrestling Coaches Association proposal to give athletes a better window to recover before the state Mat Classic tournament is generating questions across Northeast Washington. On Monday, Jan. 24, officials with the organization and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association were trying to determine if its possible to give wrestlers a two-week break between districts and state. "As I understand it, the Wrestling Coaches Association has made a p...
Ida Juanita Templin was born on Nov. 21, 1927 at home on the family farm near Springdale, Wash. to Clyde and Myrtle (Steffey) Perkins. Nita was the fifth of six children, and was the last surviving sibling. Nita went home to her Lord and Savior Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Nita grew up on the farm with her sisters and brother, Ray (Icel) Perkins, Mabel White, Gertie (Mel) Hubert, Vera (Bill) Kruger, and Rose (Jerry) Dunn. The children had a two-mile hike to the country schoolhouse,...
GALESBURG, Ill. – A local woman has been named to the Knox College Dean's List of distinguished students for fall 2021. To make the list, Lacey Miller of Ritzville earned at least 2.5 credits in the term, with a grade-point average of 3.6....
Ruth Keisling went to be with Jesus and her family on Jan. 10, 2022. She was born in Salem, Ore. on June 15, 1932 to Eugene Jones and Sibyl Debman-Jones. Former resident of Lind/ Ritzville, Ruth Keisling, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother was one of 8 children and the last survivor of her family. Ruth’s family moved from Texas out to Ore. In her youth the family settled in Silverton where her father was a barber. Her mother was a homemaker. Ruth Graduated from S...
How much worse do schools have to get before parents and public officials take a stand? It’s the question many are asking following the release of Washington state’s latest round of poor K-12 public school test scores. The testing – called the Smarter Balanced Assessment – was completed last fall. The findings are heartbreaking. The number of students failing state standards in math is now 70 percent. Across ethnic categories, the learning declines were significant. The number of students failing state standards in English...
SPOKANE – Spokane Teacher’s Credit Union announced branch closures of some lobbies and branches as a result of the COVID-19 omicron variant. In a memo dated January 20, STCU announced lobbies are closed at Moran Prairie, Cheney, Silver Lake and Ritzville branch locations. Drive-through lanes remain open. The status of these branches will be reassessed over the next week. The Othello Branch was closed, including drive-through lanes, but was expected to reopen Tuesday, January 25. Twenty-seven branch locations remain fully ope...
OLYMPIA – Environmental activists hope mandatory conservation of key habitat will help salmon runs recover, but opponents worry farmers will pay a price. House Bill 1838, the Lorraine Loomis Act named in honor of the late Northwest Indian Fisheries commissioner, will make public and private property off-limits for development and other uses near salmon bearing waterways. Prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, said salmon play a vital cultural and economic role in the state. “Salmon are an important par...
We are only a couple of weeks into 2022 and it is already shaping up to be another challenging year for America’s 5.5 million family businesses dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Rampant inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, and acute worker shortages continue. Family businesses are vital to America. According to the Conway Center for Family Business, they account for two-thirds of our nation’s GDP, just over 60 percent of U.S. jobs, and 78 percent of all new jobs cre...
OLYMPIA - A Spokane-area senator has introduced a bill to help cities and counties hire more law enforcement officers. Sixth District Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Spokane, introduced Senate Bill 5841 to provide cities and counties with more funding to hire more law enforcement officers. "Over the past few years, we've seen a large number of police officers and deputy sheriffs leave their jobs, whether it's caused by strong opposition to law enforcement by some groups or laws passed by...
OLYMPIA – Young adults will be able to access a fund years from now to give them a boost if lawmakers pass a bill aimed at narrowing the gap between the rich and poor. Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, sponsor of House Bill 1861, said the Washington Future Fund Trust would serve as a savings and investment account for babies born under the state’s Medicaid program, Apple Health. Beginning in 2024, a minimum of $3,200 will be set aside for each eligible child to access between their 18-31 birthdays. “I think it’s an excitin...
1 years ago The Ritzville Journal-Times Jan. 26, 1922 Attorneys will ask rehearing of Gibbons Case The Gibbons case, as the case of the State of Washington vs. Fred Gibbons is known, has come into sudden statewide prominence as the result of the decision of the Supreme Court in which Gibbons was granted a new trial because in the Court's opinion his arrest was unlawful and the use of the liquor in the automobile which was obtained without a search warrant, was improper. At...
RITZVILLE – A plea agreement was reached Jan.18 in the case of Brian Massey, 33, in Ritzville District Court. Defense Attorney Sara Duross Porto told Judge Andrea Russell that a mental health evaluation for Mr. Massey had been completed by Dr. David Medved from Eastern State Hospital and. Massey had been found to be competent. With the evaluation completed, the defense and city Prosecuting Attorney John Kragt asked for a resolution in the case which called for a continuance for dismissal on the city charges, with credit f...
RITZVILLE – City police officers will be getting new Tasers in the next few weeks. Police Chief Dave McCormick gave a department update at the Jan. 18 City Council meeting, noting the his department would be replacing all Tasers. A Taser is an electroshock weapon used to temporarily incapacitate a subject. Two of the department’s current Tasers are no longer supported by the manufacturer, Axon, formerly TASER International, he said. The remaining Tasers are expected to be dropped from manufacturer support within the next yea...
RITZVILLE – A local businessman died unexpectedly last week due to a medical emergency. John Freeman, 51, co-owner of Cow Creek Mercantile and Café, experienced a medical emergency Jan. 19 at the café and passed away. Freeman and his partner Arne Braaten took ownership of Cow Creek Mercantile and Café at 1611 S. Smittys Blvd. in January 2021, and operated the popular local business for a little over a year. Freeman ran the restaurant side of the establishment. From a Jan....
RITZVILLE – Ballots were mailed Jan. 21 in advance of the Feb. 8 special election, when voters will decide a number of school district levies. Voters in the Ritzville School District have two levies to consider. The first levy replaces an expiring levy on all taxable property in the District, for support of educational programs and operations expenses not funded by the state. The levy amount is for $914,000 per year to be collected in 2023 and 2024 at an estimated rate of $2.25 per $1,000 in assessed property valuation. The s...
SPRAGUE – Bill and Ginny Ressel were named Citizen of the Year in abstentia on Monday, Jan. 17, during the Sprague Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet. The couple was on vacation at the time they were named publicly by the Sprague Chamber of Commerce. They learned of the award when the returned to turn on Wednesday, Jan. 19. "Bill and Ginny are giving, caring people who have made our community a more attractive place to live," a nomination letter said. The couple has lived i...