Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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You can find a photo inside the Pastime in 1949, which might have been the grand opening. "From what I've heard from a lot of the locals that have been around since then, this was the Pastime Sports Center, but it included a magazine stand and a soda fountain," said Ryan Reilly, who has reopened the business with his sister and brother-in-law after it has been shuttered for two years. "Also, kids could get their cleats and mitts and stuff for sports here," Reilly said. "At one...
RITZVILLE - The city's recently retired police chief has reflected on his 32 years of service to the city, and it might have been something like having your hands tied. He seems of the opinion recent changes in law have not done anyone a favor. "Crimes are fueled by drugs," McCormick said, "whether it's theft, the assaults, any type of crime is, in my opinion, multiplied several times by the need for drugs and the money that the drugs chase." He said fentanyl seems to be the...
RITZVILLE - Former Police Chief Dave McCormick gave the city his notice of retirement in February this year, but there was no public announcement of a vacancy until three months later. Perhaps the city was hoping he would change his mind, but the pause in advertising the job delayed hiring a replacement or even a fill-in until a permanent candidate could be selected. Finally the city selected Bill Benner to be an "interim" chief of police. Benner had an honorary cross-over...
OTHELLO - An Adams County Sheriff's Office deputy lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a guardrail Nov. 2 while responding to a burglary call. The Sheriff's Office has yet to identify the deputy; the Washington State Patrol is investigating the incident. According to Sheriff Dale Wagner, deputies were dispatched to a call of a burglary in progress in the 2100 block of West Cunningham Road at about 6:43 a.m. Records show the resident had woke up and found a man inside h...
RITZVILLE — A local boy accused of threatening to shoot classmates and bombing the school has pleaded not guilty to related charges. During a Monday, Nov. 4 hearing, Donald G. DesJardins, 14, of Ritzville, entered a not guilty plea to a felony charge of Revised Code of Washington 9.61.160, threats to bomb, before Adams County Superior Court Judge Andrea K. Russell. Desjardins was arrested Oct. 22, 2024, following a one-day investigation by area police agencies regarding alleged communications sent by DesJardins to various c...
Millions of people make considerable sacrifices to protect the freedoms of their fellow citizens. According to the Pew Research Center and data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Census Bureau, there are currently more than 18 million living veterans in the United States. The 2021 Census counted 461,240 veterans in Canada, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. The term ‘veteran’ refers to a person who served in the active military, naval, air service, or space service and was discharged or released und...
Jail Log RITZVILLE — The Adams County Prosecutimg Attortmey’s Office reported the following individuals in custody from Oct. 29-Nov. 4: Nov. 4: Alyssa Hesselroth, 38, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Munoz Aguilera, 28, driving without a license and driving while under the influence. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Noel DeLeon, 40, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence-prior domestic violence. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Oct. 29: Josiah Matthew Barrera, 21, sec...
The most eye-catching area for commercial development in Ritzville is nestled around Exit 221 of Interstate 90. Plenty of businesses with brand-name recognition have already sprouted, from a Love’s Travel Stop to McDonald’s, and a Maverik station is near completion. “The Maverik is part of a large annexation that occurred, I think it’s been three years ago now,” said Julie Flyck, who is the Ritzville planner as well as the city clerk and treasurer. Looking very enticing beyond the Maverik station is the planned but not yet d...
RITZVILLE - A local teenager will appear in Adams County Superior Court on Monday, Nov. 4, in connection with threatening to blowup Lind-Ritzville schools and shoot classmates. Donald G. DesJardins, 14, of Ritzville, will appear before Judge Andrea Russell to answer to one count of threats to bomb, a Class B felony. He was arrested Oct. 22 and booked into Martin Hall juvenile detention center on $10,000 bail. Authorities have yet to say if he will be tried as an adult. Police...
LIND — An attempt to set fees for public records access remains in limbo after the Tuesday, Oct. 22, town council meeting. During debate on Resolution 24-07, “Policies and Procedures for Public Records Requests,” Mayor Paula Bell pushed to set copying fees at 50 cents per color page and 15 cents per page for black-and-white. She also pushed an effort to charge requestors for staff time in providing records owned by the public but maintained by the town. That did not sit well with Councilwoman Anna Dobbins, who noted charg...
RITZVILLE — East Adams Rural Healthcare CEO Corey Fedie on Friday provided more information on the Sept. 12 security breach of hospital records. In an initial notification following the incident posted on the hospital website, few details were released. Fedie last week confirmed the hospital is working on the breach. “Per our insurance company protocol, they have a list of experts that we can utilize,” he said of the breach. “But the name of the actual company, security companies, is not known or released at this time. W...
HATTON - A woman wanted in Franklin County was apprehended Oct. 27 in Adams County on Oct. 27 and turned over to Pasco police. Natalie Ingrid Malex Parsadanian, 25, of Finley, was arrested following a high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash in Adams County. Parsadanian was driving a dark-colored BMW and reportedly armed with a shotgun and threatening suicide by cop, records show. As she fled northbound from Franklin into Adams County, she crash and was taken into custody....
OTHELLO — Two people have been arrested for allegedly dealing drugs in Adams and Grant Counties. Dennis Wayne Riojas, 57, of Othello, and Slade Hardesty Fortner, 31, of Moses Lake, were both arrested Oct. 16, court records show. Riojas was arrested on charges of possession of a stolen firearm, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Riojas was booked into the F...
SPRAGUE — Three men were booked into the Lincoln County Jail in Davenport in connection with the burglary of a cell phone tower building near Sprague. Jail records show Jason John Trickel, 44, Justin Curtis Himes, 48, and Joshua M. True, 44, all of Oregon, were arrested Tuesday, Oct. 22. Trickel and Himes are being held in the Lincoln County Jail on a burglary charge and True is in custody for second-degree burglary. The men’s ages and hometowns were not immediately available. At press time, they were being held without bai...
OTHELLO - A high-speed pursuit in excess of 100 mph ended abruptly Oct. 25, when the driver lost control of his Toyota pickup and crashed on state Highway 17. Driver Jacob Arceo, 25, of Pasco, and passenger Tatianna Seideman, 20, of Oldtown, Idaho, were both injured and transported to the local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Arceo is facing possible charges of first-degree driving with a suspended license and reckless driving. The incident has been...
OTHELLO — A local man was airlifted to a Richland hospital after his car struck a truck Oct. 21 about sevens west of the city. Walter Gregorio Lopez, 21, of Othello, was flown to Kadlec Medical Center following a 2:58 p.m. crash on near Milepost 33 of Highway 26. According to the Washington State Patrol, Lopez was westbound in a 2012 Subaru Legacy. When a 1992 Kenworth truck and construction trailer slowed in front of him, rear ended the vehicle, the patrol said. The truck was driven by Jacob C. Valdez, 21, of Othello, who w...
Jail Log RITZVILLE — The Adams County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reported the following individuals in custody from Oct. 22-28: Oct. 28: Margarito Ibarra-Lopez, 27, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence, and third-degree driving while license suspended. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Jorge Mendoza-Mendoza, 27, warrant. Juan Munoz-Aguilera, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence and felony harassment-domestic violence. Roberto Ramirez, 25, second-degree retail theft-extenuating circumstances and second-degree rec...
1 years ago The Ritzville Journal-Times Oct. 30, 1924 FIGHT OFFICERS IN BOOZE RAID A raid by county officers on the Adam Heimbigner farm house near Packard early last Sunday morning resulted in a wild fight between the Heimbigners and their guests at a party, and the officers. O.S. Buehler, Melven Oestreich, H.W. Reimer and Adam Fredericks on information that liquor was being dispensed at a party at Heimbigners, left here about midnight for the place. The raid caused great...
"I'm looking to make a change," Hank Rivard said. "I believe that we need to get the power back to the people. We've got a few people that have been running the county for years, and I think we need new ideas." Does he believe county residents are disenfranchised? "If you're talking about Adams County, yes, they are," he said. "Everything has been done the same way for so many years, and it's been the same group of people that have been in there, and things aren't getting done...
"This is my fourth year (as a commissioner,)" Weise said. "I've worked for the county since 1990. I started out as a deputy sheriff. I was the under sheriff for seven years, five years, I can't remember for sure because that's a long time ago. I went back to being a deputy for a period of time, but because I had worked in emergency management when I was the under sheriff, and the situation at the time was that we needed somebody with some knowledge about emergency management,...
The Journal was unable to contact candidate David Lobe prior to publication deadline so the following information is gleaned from the Adams County Official Voters' Pamphlet: Elected Experience: No information submitted. Other Professional Experience: KAYU Fox 28; Disney Channel; IDB Communications; Co-owner/operator L-G Ranch Lind, Wa.; Co-owner/operator Double DJ Enterprises Warden, Wa.; Adams County Public Works. Education: Lind High School; ASA Degree Communications/TV...
"Adams County had really kind of sat on the sidelines of the state and federal funding game for a long time, and we have sort of rolled up our sleeves and got involved in seeking federal and state funding for different infrastructure projects around the county, and we've been successful in finding funds for a couple of bridges and working on funds for four more," Blankenship said. "We found some funds for several miles of roads, although the public works guys have been pretty...
RITZVILLE - His opening salvo described a lot about his life behind bars. "I inherited the jail, obviously, and it's always been a situation within our Sheriff's Office in the county, where it's hard to find people," Sheriff Dale Wagner said. "And then we've only had over the many years, only nine allotted positions." That's a pressure gauge hooked up to a "you can't win" steam engine where you can have to provide the best care possible to those who would never choose to have...
Age: 55 Hometown: Manson, Iowa Family: Married to Dr. Stephen Thew, raised our four children in Spokane County (one died in 2022). Education: Relevent or Volunteer Experience: No political experience. Relevant professional experiences include practicing as a board certified emergency physician for about 15 years, then teaching predominantly Health Policy and Law and Professionalism as a Lecturer-MPH for Eastern Washington University, and most recently serving as a staff attorn...
LIND - A local man is donating pumpkins to Ralston and other areas as a tribute to his son. Rod Melcher, 56, of Lind, delivered a load of pumpkins to Boxwood Garden on First Avenue in Ritzville on Saturday, Oct. 19. Melcher said his son Cole Melcher started growing the gourds, but passed away in 2016. So, the elder Melcher carried on with the tradition as a tribute to his son. Melcher said the rest of this load will go to Ralston Grange Hall on State Highway 261 for the...