Remembering the top news stories for the second half of 2017

July

During the July 5 meeting, the Ritzville City Council approved a fee agreement with Carpenter, McGuire and DeWulf for legal services. The approval of the agreement with the law firm includes the transition of the primary City Attorney from Mark DeWulf to John Kragt. The firm will also provide services regarding general and civil matters, as well as additional matters at the City’s request.

Residents and visitors flocked to Love’s Truck stop to meet History Channel stars “Ice Road Truckers’” Lisa Kelly and Edgar Hansen from the“Deadliest Catch.” Both Hansen and Kelly were in Ritzville as a part of Delo’s Game Changers cross-country road trip, a campaign promoted by Chevron Corp. and Love’s.

The Town of Lind received over $942,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funding to repair the streets damaged from the winter storms in January and February. The money will go toward fixing portions of Third, Fourth and Seventh Street, as well as fixing virtually all of Sixth Street.

August

The City of Ritzville unveiled the first component of its new branding system during a harvest party in Pioneer Plaza. The harvest party included the unveiling of a new logo, font, color scheme and tagline “Harvest the Legacy.” During their second August meeting, the Ritzville City Council adopted a new logo and seal, both of which utilize the brand’s fonts and colors.

In an effort to increase their programs in neighboring communities throughout Adams County, the Ritzville Library District No. 2 adopted a new logo and a new name: the East Adams Library District. The name change allows the district to be more inclusive to library patrons in Lind, Benge and Washtucna. The Library District’s new logo highlights four components of the services: Connect, discover, create and grow.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office made multiple arrests connected to illegal marijuana grow operations outside of Ritzville on Aug. 3 and in the town of Cunningham on Aug. 9. The Sheriff’s Office confiscated 3,000 illegal marijuana plants during the Aug. 3 bust. In Cunningham, law enforcement seized nearly 1,600 plants and marijuana already prepared for packaging.

September

The Ritzville Downtown Development Association (RDDA) celebrated the Ritz’s Theatre’s 80th anniversary with a fundraiser. During the event, the Theatre showed the John Huston’s classic “The Maltese Falcon.” The RDDA intended to show “Wake Up and Live,” which was the first movie The Ritz showed when it opened in 1937, however the group was unable to obtain a digital copy through 20th Century Fox.

The East Adams Library District and the Washington State University Lincoln-Adams County Extension Office held the first My Farm, Your Table event in downtown Ritzville. The event allowed people the opportunity to learn the process of how local farmers grow and produce the food they sell, as well as ask them questions. Attendees also heard from Greg Peterson, from the famous Peterson Bros., and Aaron Esser and Dr. Paul Kuber, who spoke about different aspects of the agriculture industry.

Dr. Tim Johnstone was presented the Lifetime Service Award from the Junior Livestock Committee during the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair Junior Livestock Sale. Johnstone served as the fair’s veterinarian for several years. He ensured the health of each animal exhibited at the fair and checks all of their vaccinations to guarantee all livestock will be in a safe and healthy environment.

October

The Lasting Legacy Wildlife Museum in Ritzville had its long-awaited grand opening on Oct. 14. The opening provided visitors the opportunity to marvel and learn about wildlife from across the globe. Dr. Donald Sebesta spent nearly a decade acquiring animals from around the world for the dioramas. The first visitors to the museum were the Brownlees of Tonasket, who along with other ticket buyers, received a personal tour of the museum, courtesy of Sebesta.

Capitalizing on the popularity of zombies, the Lind Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Halloween Zombie Walk weekend on Oct. 28-29. Residents and visitors of all ages participated in a plethora of activities. On the first day, residents participated in the Zombie Walk, and Zombie Shootout game. On the second day, attendees participated in a free kids costume contest, trunk-or-treat, a cake walk and a showing of “Casper.”

The Lind-Ritzville High School FFA’s Marketing Plan team, consisting of team members Tessa O’Brien, Kallie Harder and Tessa Jantz, represented the chapter in the 90th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team competed in the Marketing Plan contest where they presented an extensive marketing strategy about O’Brien Five Cellars. The group advanced from the preliminaries and qualified in the semifinals, where they placed as a National Silver Emblem team.

November

Lind voters in the Nov. 7 General Election returned a majority of ballots in favor of Paula Bell to serve as the next Lind Town Mayor. On the first day of the election, Bell received 131 votes for 76 percent of the votes while Incumbent Jamie Schmunk received 41 votes.

Strata Solar, a family-owned solar company based out of North Carolina, shared details of the Adams-Nielson Solar Project to the community of Lind during a public meeting. Officials from Strata Solar provided information about the project, which will be located north of Lind, including the design and construction phase, which is set to begin in April 2018. They also answered questions and concerns from residents.

Women from across the western United States gathered in Ritzville to participate in a webinar for the annual Women in Agriculture conference. Ritzville served as a host site with a dozen women from the local communities gathering to join the discussion. This year’s focus was on leadership development, and how to pass on skills and empower the younger generation of women who are transitioning into important roles in the agriculture sector.

December

Dennis Schilling of CF Industries awarded 13 local educators with mini-grants totaling $3,773 to help fund agricultural and environmental projects for both the Lind and Ritzville School Districts. The teachers applied for the funds through the CF Industries’ Classroom Mini-grant program where the requests were reviewed and approved.

During a Lind Town Council meeting, Century West’s Steve Nelson informed council the Washington Transportation Improvement Board will allocate funding to Lind in order to cover the Town’s match requirement for the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant money the Town received in July.

The Lind and Ritzville School Boards reviewed a schematic design proposal for the modernization of Lind-Ritzville High School from Architects West during the Dec. 18 meeting. The design will follow the existing footprint of the building, with the exterior walls remaining in place while the interior of the building will be completely remodeled.