Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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The Ritzville Lions Club is selling chicken as a fundraiser on Friday, July 27, at the chicken shack on the Wheat Land Communities’ Fairgrounds. Chicken will be sold for $8 a half, and only chicken is being sold during the fundraiser. The sale begins at 10 a.m., and will continue until 2 p.m. or until the chicken is sold out. Preorders can be placed by calling Bruce Benzel at 660-0935....
Adams County residents can expect to see a ballot appearing in their mailbox in the upcoming days as Primary Election ballots are mailed out. Adams County is a vote by mail county. A ballot will be mailed to each active registered voter in Adams County July 18-20. Voters who require a replacement ballot or need additional voting assistance are asked to contact the Adams County Auditor’s Office at 659-3249. The Aug. 7 Primary Election ballot includes two federal office positions. The U.S. Senator six-year term, and the U.S. R... Full story
Many farmers and ranchers value the opportunity the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) offers to enhance their existing conservation efforts, according to a survey we completed last year. Eighty-seven percent of respondents, all living in an area with a strong agricultural presence, stated CSP should be supported as a priority in the farm bill. We recently released, “A farmer’s view: a look at the Conservation Stewardship Program,” which analyzes these survey results and examines the efficacy of CSP in Iowa, Kansa...
Adams County Fire Protection District No. 2 responded to fires on July 14 and July 17. On Saturday, July 14, ACFPD No. 2 responded to a stubble wheat fire at around 5 p.m. on Lind-Warden and Roxboro roads. Lind Fire Chief Kevin Starring said the blaze burned about 40 acres of stubble and 50-60 acres of standing wheat. He added the fire had also damaged some sagebrush. He noted there were eight trucks on the scene and crews were able to bring the fire under control. Starring explained the fire started after a tractor hit a...
Drivers of heavy vehicles who use the Danekas Road bridge to cross over Interstate 90 east of Ritzville will need to find an alternate route. Washington State Department of Transportation engineers reduced the bridge to one lane following damage from a bridge strike on Tuesday, July 10. Vehicle weight restrictions also are in place, with no over-legal-axel-weight loads allowed, including farm machinery. An automated signal will direct alternating directions of traffic across the bridge through a single lane, which could be...
The Adams County Public Works Department is currently creating a maintenance worker apprenticeship program. Public Works Director Todd O’Brien said the department has been working on creating the program since the beginning of the year. He noted the Adams County Commissioners approved the proposal in January. He later drafted a memorandum of understanding with the employee’s union for the program. He stated the program will help with recruiting and retaining employees within Public Works. O’Brien explained there are depar...
Randy Lawson of Ritzville was critically injured on July 14, following a collision with a deer. According to a Washington State Patrol (WSP) report, Lawson was driving his 2004 Yamaha motorcycle when he hit a deer on southbound U.S. Route 395, five miles south of Ritzville. Ritzville Fire Department, Ritzville EMTs and WSP responded to the scene to assist with traffic control and transport. Lawson, 57, was transported by Life Flight to Sacred Heart Medical Center around 11 p.m. The southbound right lane of travel was blocked...
During the July 16 meeting, the Adams County Board of Commissioners received an additional update on the Public Works Department seal-coat project, and how it relates to increasing temperatures. Public Works Director Todd O’Brien said crews will finish the primary seal-coat work ahead of schedule. He noted crews will shut down seal-coating for a couple of weeks and work on roads to prepare for harvest traffic. Once harvest begins, he said crews will crack seal intersections and roads that do not have a lot of harvest t...
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... Full story
The Lind Town Council is a step closer to selecting an engineering firm for consultation services. During the July 10 Town Council meeting, Mayor Paula Bell said the applicants for the engineering consultants were narrowed down to three businesses: Century West Engineering, TD&H Engineering and Keller Associates. Both Century West and TD&H are located in Spokane, while Keller Associates has offices throughout the Inland Northwest. At the May 22 meeting, the Council authorized staff to begin the advertising process of hiring a... Full story
With the harvest season underway, the Ritzville Journal is asking farmers and harvest workers to contact the office regarding the opportunity to take photos of this year’s harvest. Any harvest crew interested in participating is asked to contact The Journal by calling the office at 659-1020. The Journal plans to publish a selection of the photos at the conclusion of the harvest season, and the remainder of the photos will be posted on Facebook. Harvest crew members are asked to contact Katelin Davidson or Al Stover at the o...
The East Adams Library District hosted an author reading with Tri-Cities author Al Haggerty on July 16 at the Ritzville Public Library. During the event, Haggerty read the prologue and first chapter of his novel “The Failover File.” Haggerty explained he had never read his writing outloud to an audience before he came to Ritzville. “The Failover File” is Haggerty’s first novel. He described the book as a mystery starring the character Mike O’ Hara, an ex-Navy officer, ex... Full story
Michael Shields of Ritzville was named to the spring 2018 honor roll at Spokane Community College. To receive honor roll status, students must be full time, 12 credits or more, and earn a 3.0 grade point average or higher. SCC is one of the largest community colleges in the state and serves more than 20,000 students every year. SCC has provided college transfer, career-technical and adult basic educational opportunities to hundreds of thousands of students in Eastern Washington since 1963. The main campus is located in...
The following Ritzville students made the Eastern Washington University Dean’s List for the 2018 spring quarter. Brian Campbell, Soraida Chavez, Peyton Curtis, Ryan Frederick, Dylan Hartz, Raeann Hoeft, Katie Manke, Brandon McClure, Tessa O’Brien, Taylor Templin and Stephanie Umali. An undergraduate student who earns 12 quality hours (QHRS) and receives a GPA of 3.5 or better is placed on the Dean’s List....
We had company staying with us on the night that I usually write my column last week and I completely forgot to sit at the computer to rattle off a story. By the time I was reminded the next day, I didn’t have the time to come up with something. Here we are a week later and I’ll be honest there isn’t a lot of exciting things to talk about. Okay, I could talk about the great World Cup soccer tournament that finished up on Sunday morning but I would be making stuff up. I’m n...
Last week, President Trump pardoned 76-year old Oregon rancher Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr., and his 49-year old son, Steven Hammond. I strongly believe that the pardon was justified after the vindictive prosecution and excessive sentencing of the Hammonds. In 2001, the Hammonds were conducting controlled burns, a common land management technique, on their land to burn invasive weeds on their property. The fire spread unintentionally to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, burning about 140 acres. In 2006, the Hammonds...
The big news of the month, which you probably already have heard, is that the District has succeeded in selling the former Care Center property. What you may not have heard is that it looks as if the deal will be even better than originally thought. That is because the Care Center property actually comprises four distinct land parcels. The buyer’s original offer, as accepted by the District, was for one of those four parcels, the one with the facility structure on it. But the buyer, considering their plans for further expansi...
Last month, General Electric lost its place among our nation’s top 30 performing corporations. It was the last member of the original companies, which composed the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Since 1896, American investors have looked to the Dow to judge how the top performing companies’ stocks are trading each session. The Dow favors companies with excellent reputations for sustained growth and which have broad investor interest. GE, once the world’s most valuable company, was replaced by Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.,...
The City of Ritzville is responsible for using your money, the public rate payer, for the most efficient use that benefits the community. When we have a need for funding such as water and sewer, streets, etc, we try to get the “best deal” on loans, grants and internal funding. We recently hired Evergreen Rural Water of Washington to conduct an income survey of Ritzville, which allows us to apply for certain grants. Obviously grants don’t need to be paid back, which leaves us the best use of your money. You may have recei...
HOOPFEST. Teams from across the State of Washington and neighboring states traveled to Spokane on June 30 and July 1 to compete in the annual Hoopfest, the largest three-on-three basketball tournament in the world. Those participating in the tournament include (from left) Hunter Dinkins, Hayden Melcher, Jayson Byers and Issac Hultberg. The team was the winner of their loser bracket and competed under the name of “Momma’s Boys.” -Photo courtesy of Angela Melch...
David Durrette Powers was born on May 11, 1940, to Henry “Hank” Charles and Anne Durrette Powers in Twin Falls, Idaho, three years after brother Charles Henry Powers. He passed away on July 9, 2018. Growing up, Dave’s childhood nickname was DD. He had many escapades involving BB gun wars in the alley with garbage can lids as shields (and wearing thick coats), “borrowing” the driver’s education car, and stealing a cake from home economics class. A favorite pet was a baby alli...
Donald Arthur Arlt passed away July 13, 2018 at his home in Ritzville, WA. Don was born on Dec. 25, 1932 in Schrag, WA. He was one of 4 children born to Lucille and Arthur Arlt. After Arthur’s passing, Lucille remarried to Leo Krehe. Don graduated from Ritzville High School in 1957 and from there went straight into farming and ranching. Over the years, he became an excellent welder, neighbor and friend. Many people would stop by and ask Don if he could help fabricate or c...
RITZVILLE RODEO. Princess Brianna Kin Kade (left) and Queen Aaliyah Yaeger represented the Ritzville Rodeo in the Cheney Rodeo Parade and Roundup on July 14. -Photo courtesy of Paul Delaney, Cheney Free Press...
People traveling through the Town of Washtucna and want a place to rest for the night or spend the weekend can reserve a room at the Palouse Falls Inn Bed and Breakfast. Palouse Falls Inn, located off Main Street on 210 SW Cooper Street, has been in operation for the last year and has seen its fair share of guests. The bed-and-breakfast is a craftsman, two-story home built in 1905 and located 17 miles from Palouse Falls. Guests who stay at the B&B will have the opportunity to...
The July Creative Corner activity at the Ritzville Public Library will be Wristlet Key Fobs on July 28. The activity begins at 11 a.m. at the Ritzville Public Library. Individuals who are interested in participating are asked to register at the front desk or by calling 659-1222. The cost of supplies is $5 and is due the day of the class.... Full story