Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 236
During the Dec. 5 meeting, the Ritzville City Council approved a resolution authorizing a service agreement between the City and Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC) regarding the city’s small works vendor roster. Clerk-Treasurer Kris Robbins said the city is obligated to complete and post a general small works roster for contracts, consultants and vendors. The resolution allows the city to use MRSC’s services to complete its small works roster. The resolution states MRSC will post a notice of the sma...
Six athletes from the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague wrestling team competed in the Liberty Invite on Dec. 8-9, including two competitors who placed in their respective brackets. Aarron Phelps, who was competing in the 220-pound division for the first time this season, finished fourth in his bracket. Head Coach Jason Hilzer said Phelps faced a Medical Lake athlete, who he pinned in the first period of the match. Phelps experienced his first loss in the next round after his Riverside opponent pinned him in the first period of their...
Days after suffering their first season loss against Asotin on Dec. 2, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos basketball team earned their first victory with a 67-50 nonleague win against Tri-Cities Prep on Dec. 5. They followed it up with a 62-34 Northeast 2B South League victory against Tekoa-Rosalia on Dec. 8. Against Tri-Cities Prep, Head Coach Steve Wellsandt said the Lady Broncos played evenly with the Lady Jaguars for the first three quarters of the game. With a 49-45...
The Town of Lind received positive news regarding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) project funding during the Nov. 28 Lind Town Council meeting. Century West Project Manager Steve Nelson informed the council and residents the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) will allocate funds to Lind in order to cover the Town’s match requirement for the FEMA grant the Town received in July. FEMA awarded Lind grant funding for fixing roads sustaining damaging during the 2016-17 winter weather. Nelson n...
The Ritzville City Council held a special meeting on Nov. 28 to view presentations for 110 funding requests from several local organizations and businesses. A total of $141,733 was requested from groups and businesses to help fund a variety of projects, events and tourism effort to bring more visitors to Ritzville. The 110 funds can be used for requests focusing on tourism, marketing, and operations of special events or festivals. The funds can also be used for maintenance and operations of tourism facilities owned by...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos basketball team wasted no time jumping into Northeast 2B South League play. The Lady Broncos opened their season on the road with a 57-47 loss against Asotin on Dec. 2. The Lady Panthers outscored LRS 17-12 in the first quarter and would have a 14 points in the first half. The Lady Broncos fought back, outscoring Asotin 12-10 in the second quarter, cutting the score to 27-24 at the end of first half. The Lady Panthers outscored LRS 16-15 in the third quarter and 17-9 in the final...
During their Nov. 21 meeting, the Ritzville City Council held public hearings for the 2018 fee schedule and preliminary budget. One of the changes proposed for the 2018 fee schedule is a 3 percent increase for large solid waste containers on properties. Mayor Gary Cook said the increase on the waste containers will cover the cost of dumping fees from Adams County. The fee schedule also includes a proposed increase for bulk water fees. The first 1,000 gallons of water will cost $75 and every 1,000 gallons thereafter will be...
During a recent Ritzville City Council meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Kris Robbins informed council the city received two grants, which will go toward funding projects at the City Park and the Ritzville Walking Path. The first grant the city received is a $4,000 Rural Aging Response Grant from the Empire Health Foundation. According to the Empire Health Foundation’s website, every year the Rural Aging Response Grant program provides up to $15,000 of funding for projects designed to help adults age 60 and over live full, m...
Newly-elected Lind Town Council Member Richard Baldwin did not have to wait long after the Nov. 7 election to take his seat on the council. During the Nov. 14 meeting, Baldwin was sworn into his council seat after he took the oath of office. He was elected to Council Position No. 3 on the Nov. 7 election. Prior to swearing in Baldwin, Mayor Jamie Schmunk read a resignation letter from former council member Tom Strohmaier. In his letter, Strohmaier wrote he resigned from his position to allow Baldwin officially join the...
Ritzville businesses and organizations who have applied for 110 Funds in 2018 may want to have Nov. 28 open on their calendars. The Ritzville City Council approved holding a special meeting on Nov. 28 at 5:30 p.m. to hear presentations from 110 fund applicants. Mayor Gary Cook said the 110 fund applications were distributed two weeks prior to the council meeting and were due on Nov. 15. Cook said the city will also apply for project funds on behalf of local organizations as asked, such as the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerc...
Lind residents filled the Community Church’s fellowship hall on Nov. 8 to learn about the Adams-Nielson Solar Project. Strata Solar, a family-owned solar energy company based out of North Carolina, is overseeing the development of the project located north of Lind by the water tanks and next to the cemetery. The estimated cost of the project is $30 million. During the meeting, representatives from Strata Solar provided information regarding the project’s development and construction phases, as well as answered questions from...
In September, the Town of Washtucna was notified they received a $750,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) program. The money from the grant will go toward drilling and constructing a new water well, which will be located next to the old railroad well. According the CBDG website, the program awards grants to cities to use for improving rural water, sewer, street and fire protection systems, or in some cases supporting affordable housing and community planning. S...
Veterans Day is a time when civilians of all ages show their gratitude and support to those who proudly wore a military uniform and served our country. Some veterans fought on the front lines while others served in other capacities, such as working on the communications and network divisions. Adams County is home to numerous veterans, one being Maurice Root. Root currently lives between Ritzville and Odessa. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos concluded their 2017 season in the second round of the Northeast 2B District 7 Tournament on Nov. 2. The Lady Broncos lost a three-set semifinal match against Colfax: 12-25, 18-25, 12-25. Head Coach Cari Galbreath said she thought the Lady Broncos tried to adjust to Colfax’s playing style, though their contest at the District match was the best match LRS played against the Lady Bulldogs all season. Galbreath said the team put up a good e...
The Broncos’ Rose Melville finished her senior cross country season at the 1B/2B State Championships on Nov. 4 at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. Melville finished 12th in the 5,000-meter race in 20 minutes and 35.50 seconds. This was her second-best time all season. During the race, Melville was in 11th place at the one-mile mark, and the second mile which she clocked in at 13:04.7. She finished less than 8 seconds behind Northwest Christian-Lacey runner Megan McSheffre...
Residents and visitors who step inside the Ritzville Fitness Center on Monday through Thursday at around 5 p.m., will notice a group of children practicing boxing maneuvers or engaging in a cardio workout. On other nights, they may see the same group of children jogging along Main Avenue. These exercises are a couple of aspects from the youth mixed martial arts classes the Fitness Center teaches from Monday through Thursday, from 5-6 p.m. From those classes, Ritzville Youth...
At their Oct. 24 meeting, the Lind Town Council approved extending the Town’s marijuana moratorium for another six months after November. Back in May, Council approved an ordinance establishing a moratorium on marijuana producing, processing and sales in the Town. The council adopted the moratorium to allow for additional time to discuss rules and regulations, and receive input from the community as to whether or not residents would want a marijuana business located within Lind. Since council adopted the moratorium, the t...
Rose Melville has the opportunity to bring home a medal from Pasco when she competes at the 1B/2B State Championships at the Sun Willows Golf Course on Nov. 4. In 2014, Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, LRS runner and Melville’s sister Tracy brought home a 1B/2B State cross country title from Pasco. Melville qualified for the state championships after she took second place at the District 7 and 9 Regional race at the Colfax Golf Club on Oct. 28. She finished the event in 19 minutes and 39.28 seconds, a new personal record. This also m...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos volleyball team earned a measure of redemption to end their regular season after they defeated Liberty in a close four-set match on Oct. 24: 25-20, 24-26, 25-23, 26-24. Prior to the match, the Lady Broncos lost to Liberty twice during the Spikefest Tournament in September, then suffered a 3-1 loss to the Lady Lancers on Oct. 10. The team carried their momentum into the first round of the Northeast 2B District 7 Tournament on Oct. 26 wher...
At their Oct. 17 meeting, the Ritzville City Council discussed several topics, including water meter testing. Clerk-Treasurer Kris Robbins said staff is conducting meter reading for the last time this year. She explained the handheld system recently went down and while the system’s warranty will cover the cost of repairs, staff will research funding opportunities to potentially purchase additional water meters and new equipment. She said the city has 800 meters and only 200 of those are radio-operated. Robbins said staff h...
Two vehicles from the Ritzville Fire Department were parked outside of the grade school on the morning of Oct. 19. Ritzville firefighters were not responding to an emergency at the school, but rather they were visiting students from Kate Gantz’s second grade class. At the beginning of the department’s presentation, Assistant Fire Chief Joel Bell quizzed students on how to test smoke alarms in their homes, and encouraged them to discuss with their parents about changing the det...
Sonny’s Family Restaurant is best known for its broasted chicken dinner and for the last year, patrons of all ages have had the opportunity to enjoy the business’ food and quality customer service. Since purchasing Sonny’s in July 2016, owners Glen and Christina Running have made several additions and changes. They have focused on making the restaurant a place where customers can bring their family and enjoy its atmosphere. Children are allowed in the restaurant, while adult...
The Broncos cross country team had success at the 1B/2B District 7 Championships on Oct. 21. Rose Melville finished second in the varsity girls’ 5,000-meter race with a personal record of 20 minutes and 37 seconds. Melville’s time was less than a minute behind the race’s winner, St. George’s Jora Gleason, who clocked in at 19:48. In the same race, Hannah Brittain finished with a personal record of 28:34. On the boys’ side, Erik Hughes finished the varsity boys’ 5,000 meter race in 30:31, while Ethan Hughes clocked in...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos volleyball team continued the last round of Northeast 2B South League play on Oct. 19 with a three-set loss against Colfax: 25-15, 25-9, 25-7. The Lady Broncos bounced back on Oct. 21 to sweep Asotin in three sets: 25-20, 25-10, 25-23. Against the Lady Bulldogs, Head Coach Cari Galbreath said LRS started the match strong, but the pressure from Colfax caused the Lady Broncos to lose their focus and momentum, especially when it came to their passing and offense. “It seemed like we c...
Incumbent Lind Mayor Jamie Schmunk has dedicated the last eight years to the Town and seeks to do so for a third term. Schmunk and her husband Greggory have lived in Lind for 12 years. She has been a school bus driver for 28 years, and a certified bus trainer for 24 years. She has also been the Lind Community Pool manager for 12, lead swim lessons instructor for eight years and is active with the Lind Chamber of Commerce. She has served on legislative committees, and sits on...