The Journal's top 10 news stories of 2019

As 2019 comes to a close with our final issue of the year, The Journal is looking back at its top 10 news stories of the year.

These are the stories that our readers had the greatest interest in, because of the effect they had on the eastern Adams County community. We hope you enjoy our selection of stories, and we look forward to covering more important topics in the community as we enter 2020.

January 31

Benefit Dinner & Auction raises $40,000 for Swift family

The Legion Hall was stuffed with dinner tables, auction items and more than 200 citizens who came to pay tribute and raise funds to benefit Larry Swift, the long-time Director of Ritzville's Public Works Department who has been in a fight against cancer, on Jan. 26.

Sharon Oestreich, chair of the group to put on the benefit, described Larry as a "hometown boy," always helping others and putting others first.

The Benefit Dinner and Auction, hosted by the Ritzville Eagles, was announced to begin at 6 p.m., but by 5 p.m. the hall, side alcove and lounge was overflowing with anticipation, conversational hum and seat-seekers. At the appointed hour, Master of Ceremonies Stephen McFadden took the microphone to quiet the crowd and announce that after surgery five days before, post-surgical tests indicated Larry is free of cancer at this point-to thunderous cheering and applause.

Success of the Benefit Dinner and Auction might be measured in many ways: great food, lively conversations, the fun of the auctions, but there is one way that best measures success: add the meal tickets, the silent auction, the live auction, the donations and the money tree, and the sum measures the heart of Ritzville as well as the love and respect for one of Ritzville's own--upwards of $40,000 raised for the Swift family.

February 14

Pastime renovations underway

The "Pastime Bar and Grill" sign has occupied the corner of Ritzville's Main and Washington for decades and is now overseeing a renovation of the storied pub.

Dave Benedict and Aimee Guiles purchased the property with the intent of restoring the Pastime to a "warm and welcoming place to bring friends." The two are not unfamiliar with restoring a well-known location, having purchased the old Blue Bike and turning it into the present Boxwood garden center, bakery and espresso destination. With a thorough Pastime renovation now underway, Guiles shared their dreams and intent for the Pastime eatery and building.

She explained that they are motivated to contribute to the growth and renovation of historic downtown by purchasing and preserving the first masonry building in downtown Ritzville. They are aware of the rich history of the place, and want to feature the past by restoring elements that contribute to memories of early days.

Early in the restoration process, a series of wall murals were treated and protected. A significant accomplishment included uncovering and rebuilding the aging supporting structure under the floor.

Guiles is personally enamored and excited by the original neon-lighted bar, which has old pull-handle glass refrigerator doors, now sanded and sealed. Future patrons of the Pastime will find themselves caught in a time warp between the layout and furnishings reflecting the past, supported by a kitchen with the latest in commercial equipment-including a new compressor for the vintage walk-in, a new charbroiler, new fryer and flat top, a new pizza oven capable of baking fresh individually created pizzas within 90 seconds and, of course, a new espresso machine.

April 18

Clean energy industry making waves in Adams County

With the recent announcement from Avista that it has agreed to purchase power from the proposed Rattlesnake Flat Wind Project near Lind, coupled with the Adams-Neilson Solar Farm in Lind that went online late last year, there is no doubt that economic development in eastern Adams County is changing.

In the case of the 28-megawatt Adams-Neilson Solar Farm, the county government took an active role as cheerleader and advocate, according to Stephen McFadden, Adams County Economic Director.

Avista sent out a nationwide request for proposal (RFP) to solar providers. Avista's RFP said that it was looking to build a solar farm somewhere in its service area.

According to McFadden, the county government immediately jumped in and said "hey, we want you to pick Adams County." The county went so far as recruiting Governor Jay Inslee to write a letter of support to Avista, encouraging the utility company to select Adams County.

McFadden said that an underlying reason as to why they doggedly pursued bringing a solar farm to the county is to help increase the local tax base of towns and cities in eastern Adams County.

Where county officials played the role of advocate and cheerleader in helping to bring the Adams-Neilson Solar Farm to Adams County, they played a lead role in helping to develop the Rattlesnake Flat Wind Project. The actual process itself, according to McFadden, can be traced back to starting in the early 2000s.

Some 15 years ago, Adams County staff came forward with an idea of looking at wind farms as a potential economic development project. At the time, wind farms were being developed throughout the Pacific Northwest in areas that had the highest recorded wind production. Swayed enough by the idea, county officials agreed to invest in installing meteorological towers, which measures wind.

The original data collected by county staff was then produced into a report for a developer. At the informational meeting held by NRG Energy in June of 2018, the visiting staff acknowledged that the original data played a role in deciding to move forward with the Rattlesnake Flat Wind Project.

May 9

Memories Deli to provide another dining option on Main Avenue

Scott and Lori Gorman have been busy renovating the old gym at 202 W Main Ave. into a friendly, open, airy space which will be the home of "Memories Deli and Hidden Treasures." An existing set of partitions neatly splits the space with a long hallway that distinguishes the two functions apart from each other, but also gives easy access to both. A perfect set-up for what they have in mind.

And what is that? On the Deli side: wraps, sandwiches, and salads available--either as grab-and-go or in-house. Drinkables include a Coca-Cola fountain or individual bottles such as iced teas, lemonade and the like.

The Deli is a large open space bounded by a floor–to-ceiling brick wall across from windows facing the "Treasures" side. Booths from the nearby old Palms restaurant provide seating along both sides. Between, tables and chairs come from a Gorman-owned storage unit that is full of both known and unknown furniture items and "treasures." Emphasis is placed on old stuff that is cleaned and put into service, such as a sink from the 1950s obtained at a yard sale.

The plan is for the Memories Deli and Hidden Treasures to be a showcase for items from Ritzville history and a draw for tourists visiting the area. When you go, be sure to notice the old suitcase-type Victrola. Lori said they have thousands of records to play.

June 20

Ritzville man charged with rape

The Adams County Prosecutor's office charged a Ritzville man with rape earlier this month.

According to a written statement from Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick, Michael A. Kuest, 27, was arrested on June 3 at approximately 7:05 p.m. Police say Kuest is listed as a transient but had recently lived in the Ritzville area.

Officers responded to a 911 call a little before 5:30 p.m. at the 400 block of East Birch Avenue in Ritzville. At McCormick's request, officers received assistance at the scene from the Adams County Sheriff's Department and the Washington State Patrol.

"The report came in on a 911 line to the Adams County Sheriff's dispatch advising the victim was naked and had been badly beaten," McCormick wrote in his statement.

The suspect was booked into the Adams County Jail on charges of First Degree Rape, First Degree Assault and Unlawful Imprisonment, according to McCormick's statement.

The victim is an adult female who lives in Spokane. A Ritzville ambulance transported her to Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane.

The Adams County Prosecutor filed formal charges of Rape in the First Degree on June 5. As of the time of the publishing of this story on June 20, Kuest is still being held in the Adams County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Kuest recently served jail time in Lincoln County after pleading guilty on April 23 to attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.

July 18

Uniquely Washington back in business

When Dennis and Mary Chamberlain stood in their Uniquely Washington store on Main Street in downtown Ritzville a few years ago, they could look across the street and see the Snyder Block Building, a building that had seen better days. They decided to do something about it.

They briefly closed their doors in August 2018. Less than a year later, they re-opened their business across the street in the Snyder Block Building. During that year, they put a lot of time-and money-into returning the building to its former glory.

Dennis and Mary opened Uniquely Washington in 2014 in the building now occupied by Gigamedics. They sold pre-packaged food, wine and craft beer. Later, art was added to the mix as well. While the store wasn't setup to serve prepared meals, business was good.

But prepared food was something Dennis wanted to add. A move to another building would make that possible. No expansion of any kind was possible in the building they were in.

"We were full," Chamberlain said. "There was no room to do anything. Here, we are more than twice the size. And that opened up opportunities and room to do things."

But in the end, saving an old building from disrepair was what pushed the Chamberlains over the edge to decide to move. The Snyder Block Building was built in 1899. It has been home to a large number of businesses over the years.

The move to the Snyder Block Building allows for the serving of meals. Breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes, is served in the morning. Soup and sandwiches are served for lunch.

"We have a pretty simple menu," Chamberlain said. He then chuckled and added, "I'm a pretty simple man."

Aug. 1

Ritzville farmers unite for one of their own

The Ritzville farming community rose to the occasion for one of their own last weekend, in a big way.

On July 28, some 17 combines, as well as semis and bankout wagons, were put into action to help harvest the 1,200-acre wheat field of Larry Yockey, a fourth-generation farmer who earlier this year was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma-skin cancer.

Yockey was diagnosed in February of this year, and a scan showed that the cancer had spread to his bones. He has been on treatment since March and said that the cancer had been set back pretty good, which gave him hope that the damage would have repaired itself by now and he could resume a normal schedule.

But it hasn't yet, Yockey said, noting that he currently has two broken ribs and a hip problem due to the cancer spreading to his skeletal system, causing them to deteriorate. He tried to stay busy and remain as normal as he could during the spring, but conceded that harvest is too physically demanding.

"Harvest, as you can see today, is a lot of work," Yockey told The Journal as he looked out at the ongoing wide-scale operation Sunday morning.

In a normal year with just one machine, Yockey said it would take him about 12 to 14 days to get everything done. On Sunday, the volunteers wrapped everything up in six hours. "Now this is what community's all about," said one of the volunteers.

The crew of volunteers ended up being about 60 people in all, made up of friends and neighbors and farmers that Yockey has made and had throughout the 34 years he's been overseeing his farm.

"This is wonderful. Just wonderful," said Yockey. "My family and I appreciate it, and it just shows how these farm communities work."

Aug. 22

Adams County farms received $2.46 million in aid from USDA

Over 600 farms in Adams County received a combined $2.46 million in federal payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an effort to help farmers recoup losses in 2018 from recent and ongoing trade disputes.

The vast majority--almost $2.25 million--went to farms that grow wheat, according to the data that was obtained by The Associated Press from the USDA. And while the payments have helped mitigate some of the lost sales due to trade disputes between the U.S. and other countries, they're not close to making up for those lost sales.

"We're appreciative of the [Trump] Administration for realizing that there's an issue in farm country, but we--the farmers--would rather have trade than aid," said Michelle Hennings, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, to The Journal. "We want our trade agreements, we don't want aid from the government."

In July 2018, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the USDA would authorize up to $12 billion in relief programs that were aimed to "assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets" after retaliatory tariffs were put in place by China.

Earlier that year the Trump Administration implemented tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese goods, due to a dispute over the Chinese government's high-tech industrial policies. China retaliated in kind, enforcing tariffs on soybeans and pork, which led to the formation of the USDA relief programs.

The average payment from the USDA to farms that grow wheat in Adams County was $3,727, while the median payment was $1,182.

Sept. 26

City begins quiet zone discussion

The Ritzville City Council opened the floor to discussion on Sept. 17 in regards to designating the city as a quiet zone for trains traveling through Ritzville.

The topic was listed on the city council meeting agenda, under the discussion agenda section, and was led mostly by councilmember Dennis Chamberlain, who supports making Ritzville a quiet zone.

Under the Federal Railroad Administration's Train Horn Rule, which went into effect in 2005, locomotive engineers must begin to sound train horns at least 15 seconds--and no more than 20 seconds--in advance of all public grade crossings.

The Train Horn Rule provides an opportunity for local governments in the United States to lessen the effects of train horn noise by establishing quiet zones. In a quiet zone, railroads are directed to cease the routine sounding of horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings. Train horns may still be used in emergency situations or to comply with other federal regulations or railroad operating rules.

Before a local government is able to establish a quiet zone, it is first required to implement more safety measures to mitigate the increased risk caused by the absence of a horn, such as installing medians on one or both sides of the tracks to prevent a motorist from driving around a lowered gate.

There are 11 local governments in Washington state that have adopted quiet zone rules, including Connell.

At the meeting, Chamberlain addressed the council, city officials and members of the public by prefacing that he was just looking to start a conversation and public discussion, and wasn't looking for the council to take a vote or choose sides on the spot.

Nov. 21

Ritzville residents arrested on federal charges

Two Ritzville residents, both of whom were subjects of a two-year investigation in Ritzville, were arrested in Moses Lake on the night of Nov. 12. Taylor Hermsmeyer-Rogers, 25, and Cassandra Rand, 19, were arrested on drug charges when police found them unconscious in an illegally parked car with drug paraphernalia in plain view.

Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick told The Journal that the arrest came one day before the two suspects were scheduled to be arrested in Ritzville.

Hermsmeyer-Rogers and Rand were two of the subjects of a two-year investigation of the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, a drug enforcement unit based in Grant County.

McCormick said that on Sept. 30 at 8 a.m. the INET, the Adams County Sheriff's Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ritzville Police Department executed a search warrant at 306 W. Third Ave. in Ritzville. Hermsmeyer-Rogers was arrested and transferred to Grant County on a warrant there. He was later released.

DEA officials moved forward with federal charges against both suspects and federal attorneys presented in front of a grand jury in Spokane on Nov. 5. The grand jury indicted both Hermsmeyer-Rogers and Rand on charges of possession of meth, possession of heroin, conspiracy to distribute meth and conspiracy to distribute heroin.

A warrant was issued and federal agents and Ritzville Police officers were going to arrest the suspects early in the morning on Nov. 13.

McCormick described Hermsmeyer-Rogers as one of Ritzville's most prominent drug dealers and that his department has been building a case against him for some time. He said several people provided police with information, but said the process took some time because they didn't want their names used in a request for a search warrant.