Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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RITZVILLE - The planned construction of a new gas station at the state Highway 261-Interstate 90 interchange will bring a change in traffic flow. During the June 20 City Council meeting, Clerk/Treasurer Julie Flyckt said the state Department of Transportation is requiring the planned Maverick gas station – as part of the company's access permit – to mitigate expected traffic issues. The company is expected to start by constructing a four-way stop with traffic signals and a c...
LIND – A Mercer Island native working as a nurse practitioner at Hometown Family Medicine never imagined life in a rural community. Lauren Phillips, 29, now of Lind, recently accepted the job at the health care center, 210 W. Main Ave., after graduating with a doctorate in 2022 in nursing from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. Born and raised on Mercer Island, Phillips didn't anticipate living and working in rural Adams County. "It was a drastic change from living in a Se...
- Editor's note: This is the final installment of a three-part series. RITZVILLE – When William "Bill" Sager completed his tour of duty in Vietnam and was discharged from the Army, he returned to a job in road construction with the Washington state Department of Transportation. Assigned to an office in Mount Vernon, his crew worked on the Burlington interchange and a four-lane highway from Anacortes to Mount Vernon. On one occasion he had to navigate an especially high b...
RITZVILLE – The local water park will reopen for the summer season Friday, June 16, under the supervision of Manager Donna Kessler and Assistant Manager Kendra Hannahs. Katie Teachout will provide office help and concessions will be handled by Margaret Reidt, Elijay Jacinto and Allesandra Mendez. Recent upgrades to the water park include replacement of electrical panels, pool pumps, and boilers. As of press time, Kessler had scheduled a two-day training session for nine new l...
RITZVILLE – Pianist Amy Galbreath played "Pomp and Circumstance" as 20 graduates wearing robes of red and black walked down the center aisle Thursday, June 1. The attendees - most of this year's Lind-Ritzville High School graduating class of 25 students - took their seats at the front of the Ritzville Foursquare Church for the annual Baccalaureate service. "Baccalaureate" was coined in the 1600s to describe a farewell sermon to graduates earning bachelor degrees from c...
RITZVILLE – An hour before commencement began on Saturday, June 3, friends and family of 25 Lind-Ritzville High School graduates streamed into Gilson Gymnasium. Students in the foyer handed out programs, and attendees took seats in 14 rows of folding chairs stretched out on the basketball court. Other visitors sat high on bleachers bordering the gym floor. A red carpet extended from the back of the gym to a wooden podium decorated with the signature Bronco icon. Music s...
— Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series on William ‘Bill’ Sager. Part 3 will publish June 14. RITZVILLE – Barely out of his teenage years, Bill Sager was drafted into the Army in May 1969. “I had a feeling deep in my heart that if I went to Vietnam as an infantryman, I wouldn’t come back alive,” he said. So he joined the regular Army, which required a three-year commitment. He signed up for a seaman course and went to basic training at Fort Lewis. Because of his prior manual labor in the woods, he was a...
- Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part series on William 'Bill' Sager. Part 2 will publish June 7. RITZVILLE - For William "Bill" Sager hard times began early. His parents and four older siblings lived in a small trailer near his birthplace in Ontario, Ore. One scary night all the kids, including 3-year-old Bill, slept on cots outside under the stars. When coyotes howled and circled nearby, his mother crammed the children inside the tiny trailer to keep them safe....
RITZVILLE — The City Council on May 16 approved a housing action plan after holding public hearings in March and April. “The goal of the HAP is to encourage the construction of additional affordable and market rate housing in a greater variety of housing types at prices accessible to a variety of incomes,” according to the ordinance outlining the plan. The lengthy plan, produced with the assistance of contractor SJC Alliance, includes a housing needs assessment, recommended policy and code changes, and various housing strat...
RITZVILLE – The City Council discussed charging developers a proposed traffic impact during its May 2 meeting. The fees would generate revenue to help pay for expenses with constructing state-mandated traffic mitigation measures. The measures would likely include two roundabouts at the Division Street exits at Interstate 90, city officials said. One would be located at the Division Street-Weber Avenue intersection; the other at Weber Road-state Highway 261 intersection. The cost to construct two roundabouts — app...
RITZVILLE – Local fifth-graders recently planted five trees along the Main Street walking path in observance of Arbor Day at the end of April. To prepare for the event, youngsters also wrote essays answering the question, "What is your favorite tree and why?" Three finalists presented their essays at City Hall, following a proclamation by Mayor Linda Kadlec and presentation of colors by Boy Scout Troop No. 888 and Cub Scout Pack No. 73. Landon Williams won first-place with h...
RITZVILLE - On a hot Wednesday, May 3, afternoon last week, supporters gathered on bleachers near the high school gymnasium to watch the second Mud War tug-of-war competition. As music blared from loudspeakers, teams of high schoolers grabbed a thick rope and yanked in frantic opposition, slipping and sliding – and dunking one another as they battled for victory in a rectangular tank of goo. The competition pitted Lind-Ritzville High School classes against one another, each c...
RITZVILLE – After graduating from Western Washington University a few years ago, Joseph Roach completed his student teaching in Cashmere. The 25-year-old didn’t plan to leave. But teacher Karin Blomquist — one of many mentors he credits with encouraging him on his journey — suggested he apply to Lind-Ritzville High School. Her encouragement led Roach to put his hat in the ring. As a result, Lind-Ritzville High School gained a new, energetic physical education/health teacher last fall. From Roach’s birthplace in White San...
RITZVILLE – Stroll the paved path through the fairgrounds and above the baseball fields and you'll spot an orange traffic cone sitting atop a large spigot. That's the upper terminus of Well No. 8 - the newest in a long line of city wells. Completed last December, Well No. 8 should be online sometime this year, according to city Public Works Director Dave Breazeale. The cost to drill the well totaled $1,983,287, and Breazeale said he expects an additional $2 million will be n...
RITZVILLE – The state has given Adams County a “clean” bill of health when it comes to accountability. During an exit meeting Tuesday afternoon, April 4, state Audit Supervisor Wesley Fink and Audit Manager Bradley White gave Adams County a “clean” or “unmodified” opinion, based on an accountability audit for fiscal year 2021. Adams County Commissioners Jay Weise and Mike Garza, Auditor Heidi Hunt, Public Works Director Todd O’Brien, Prosecuting Attorney Randy Flyckt and other department heads were present for the meeting...
RITZVILLE – If you’ve been hearing the “noon whistle” at odd times throughout the day, your ears haven’t been deceiving you. At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Fire Chief Joel Bell asked, tongue-in-cheek, “Has anyone missed anything at noon?” He explained that an initial investigation with the siren indicated problems with the power source. One evening at about 8 p.m., Bell said he accidentally set off the whistle at City Park and fire station, noting, “The park whistle goes off first, then the fire station siren sta...
RITZVILLE – Accustomed to the warmer weather of Palmdale, Calif., Diane Spain didn't expect the single-digit winter temperatures of rural Eastern Washington. On their arrival here in December 2014, she asked her husband Pete Spain, "Why didn't you tell me it was so cold?" But the couple adapted. Pete and his wife hoped to give their kids a better life. "We ended up in Ritzville because Pete's mother lived here and we wanted the kids to be near their grandparents," Diane s...
RITZVILLE - At last Tuesday's City Council meeting, Police Chief Dave McCormick outlined several recent law-enforcement training opportunities. On March 31, a firearms training simulator operated by Clear Risk Solutions was in town, he said. The risk-management company based in Ephrata uses sophisticated software and hardware to enable officers to engage in virtual scenarios. Using a simulator, each participant must rely on past training and personal judgment to navigate...
RITZVILLE – Since the height of the pandemic in 2021, extending broadband capacity has become a priority for Adams County Commissioner Dan Blankenship and other county leaders. They’ve pushed the project forward because Adams County is a “broadband desert,” according to Blankenship. He likens the current situation to rural electrification efforts during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In those years, it became a national priority to extend electricity to the countryside. “We’re trying to do the same thing here,” he s...
LIND – A team of 27 students and 12 adult volunteers from Salem, Ore., spent their spring break helping folks in Adams County communities last week. They painted buildings in Benge, cleaned up the community garden in Lind and freshened the Ralston cemetery, according to high school student Lauren Halliday, a member of the youth group. "In the afternoons, we've been holding Vacation Bible School for kids from kindergarten through eighth-grade," student Daniel Nemecek said. "We...
LIND — Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner is working with school officials to carve out office space at the Lind Middle School for his deputies. He’s aiming for a similar arrangement with the Washtucna School District. Various programs have attempted to reduce crime and increase law enforcement effectiveness in public schools. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program and School Resource Officers are two examples. But neither program is inexpensive and neither provides a one-size-fits-all solution for every community, the...
RITZVILLE — Mayor Linda Kadlec began the Tuesday, March 21, council meeting with a speech about utilities. She informed residents “we are listening to your concerns,” and noted city staff has scheduled workshops, which she encouraged residents to attend. The workshops should help residents understand utility bills better and address any mistakes, she said. Kadlec said the workshops will be scheduled after April 20, following the completion of April meter readings. She then referenced a letter providing additional detai...
RITZVILLE – The Ritzville Eagles Auxiliary and Aerie will host this year’s annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 1, at the Ritzville City Park. The event will start at 9 a.m. on the park’s Columbia Street side. Children ages 12 and younger may participate. Easter Egg hunts are also slated for Saturday, April 1, at the Keppler Memorial Park in Ralston and the Lind City Park on Saturday, April 8. The Ralston event starts at 9 a.m.; the Lind event at 11 a.m. The Eagles have scheduled the event for the week before Easte...
RITZVILLE – A new owner is refurbishing the self-service Ritzville Car Wash. Shane O'Donnell, owner of Alignment and Brakes Plus in Bellingham, saw an opportunity when the city's only car wash business became available last year. O'Donnell bought Ritzville Car Wash, 316 E. Third Ave., for $46,000 in January from Joel Curran, Adams County Assessor's Office records show. The car wash had been on the market since last year. Originally built in 1980, the business has changed h...
RITZVILLE — The City Council was updated on water-distribution upgrades during its Tuesday, March 7 meeting. Ben Varela of Varela Engineering and Management discussed bidding for a water distribution system. He explained the project will include about 5,000 feet of new water mains and a dozen valve replacements throughout the city. It will continue a project begun more than a decade ago, he said, estimating the total cost for the extended distribution system at $2-$2.5 million. He said he expects construction to start in l...