Year in Review: 2014 showcases monumental achievements, changes in Adams County

January

The Ritzville Downtown Development Association (RDDA) announced a soft opening date of March 21 for the Ritz Theatre after months of restoration. The RDDA planned the tentative date to serve as a fundraiser that would showcase the Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band.

After suffering the devastating loss of their building in 2009, the Adams County Pet Rescue was selected as the pilot project for a potential reality show through the Animal House Organization. With the ACPR struggling to collect the donations necessary for the project, Animal House announced its decision to assist on Jan. 19. {{more}]

February

Ritzville residents Ryo Olson and Terry Ruber returned from their three-week mission trip to the African county of Malawi. While there they assisted 15 other missionaries with the construction of church in the landlocked country. Rube and Olson joined fellow missionaries from Ephrata, Grandview and Tacoma.

Free Press Publishing, of Cheney, assumed full ownership of The Ritzville Adams County Journal, acquiring the newspaper from Stephen McFadden. The company publishes the Cheney Free Press and The Davenport Times and has handled the printing of The Journal for decades.

Veteran Washington State Patrol Trooper Tyler Fryberger was selected as the District 4 Trooper of the Year. Fryberger was stationed in the Ritzville WSP detachment in 1998 and joined the force in 1990.

March

The efforts of the fourth through sixth grade at the Washtucna School were rewarded when the senate passed the bill they helped draft. House Bill 2119, designating Palouse Falls as the state’s official waterfall, passed the Senate with a 46-3 vote on March 4. Governor Jay Inslee traveled to the state park to sign the bill on March 18.

The Horse Crazy Band entertained a nearly sold out audience at the Ritz Theatre’s re-opening night. The benefit event was held as a soft opening and effort to raise money to complete renovations. The band played to a nearly sold out crowd on March 22.

April

Brian and Ryan Borth began expanding their business from Spokane to Ritzville. The Borths purchased the previous Herb’s Body shop at the beginning of the year and they expect to have the shop operational some time during the 2014 year. Together they operate Flash’s Auto Body Shop and Paint in Spokane, but have always had an interest in expanding to Ritzville.

Almost exactly a year after breaking ground at the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lind, the project is reached completion and was fully operational. The town began drafting plans for a new treatment facility over 15 years ago and was put into motion after funding from the Department of Ecology.

The morning of April 23 rose on the remains of the horse barn at the Wheat Land Communities’ Fairgrounds. The fire was initially reported as a possible brush fire at 9:25 p.m. Sergeant Mark Cameron was the first to respond to the scene and found the structure engulfed in flames.

The remainder of Year in Review will be published in the Jan. 8 edition of The Journal.