From the Files

100 years ago

The Ritzville

Journal-Times

March 10, 1921

Best Crop Prospects for Many Years, Says F. J. Geissier

F.J. Geissier favored the Record office with a pleasant call Wednesday. Mr. Geissier is one of the oldest settlers of the Odessa country, having located on his homestead southeast of town 37 years ago. When asked as to his opinion of the quanitity of moisture in the ground he said that to the best of his recollection, only one other year since he had been in the country, had the ground been as wet as it now is. That was in the spring of 1890 after a winter in which at one time there was five feet of snow on the level in this part of the Big Bend.

75 years ago

The Ritzville

Journal-Times

Mar. 7, 1946

Stop for Gasoline

Saves Three Lives

A stop in Ritzville to “gas up” probably saved the lives of three passengers in a pickup truck Monday afternoon. The trio, Mr. and Mrs. Jess O’Laughlin, ages 73 and 75, of Missoula, Mont., and their son, E.A. Vogel, 49, of Stanwood, Wash., collapsed and became violently ill when they got out of the truck after driving into the Union service station at Division and the highway. They were rushed to Ritzville general hospital, where they were found to be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. They were revived in about an hour and remained in the hospital until the next day. Local men who examined the truck said it had no muffler or exhaust pipe and wonder how the trio got this far without trouble.

50 years ago

The Ritzville

Journal-Times

Mar. 11, 1971

Lawmen Getting Computer

The net of the computer age more and more rapidly now is being drawn around the criminal and his activities. Here in Ritzville a new sophisticated white teletype capable of “talking” to the computers is going “on line” before March 31. At Olympia banks of computers already are talking with the National Crime Information Center in Washington, D.C., shuttling back and forth identification messages in nine seconds that formerly took up to three days to clear for rural places like Adams county.

25 years ago

Ritzville Adams

County Journal

Mar. 7, 1996

Legislature sends meth bill to

governor for consideration

A bill that would increase penalties for crimes involving methamphetamine was approved by the Legislature. It now goes to Gov. Mike Lowry for consideration. State Rep. Mark Schoesler, who prime-sponsored House Bill 2339, was pleased to see it receive such strong support in both the House and Senate. “I think everyone here realizes we have a major problem with meth that is quickly becoming worse. We need to take whatever steps we can to stop its use,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville.