Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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RITZVILLE - A new city councilman was sworn into office during a meeting Jan. 16. William Green took a seat on the City Council, filling the unexpired Ward No. 3 position left vacant when Scott Yaeger was elected mayor. At an earlier council meeting, Yaeger recommended the council approve Green to fill his remaining two-year term. Yaeger said he talked to a few people in Ward No. 3, a residential section of the city near Ritzville School District facilities, and received a...
RITZVILLE — City Council members unanimously agreed Jan. 2 to renew the city’s lease with Porky’s Clubhouse Grill for the municipal golf court clubhouse. The restaurant owner, Jackeline Pacheco, is an Arizona native who established the first Porky’s two years ago as a hot dog stand in Moses Lake. At the Ritzville site, Pacheco takes orders and relays them to her husband, Mario Flores, who prepares food in the kitchen. The city’s lease contract with Porky’s runs through calendar year 2024. But, as amended at the Jan. 16 cou...
RITZVILLE – At a well-attended award ceremony on the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 10, Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner shared his admiration for law enforcement employees who went "above and beyond" in their efforts to keep the community safe. Recipients include Cpl. Jeff Lane, Sgt. Tomas Solano and former Corrections deputy Rory Suarez-Tapia all three received both the Lifesaving and Sheriff's Medal of Valor awards. Deputy Joe Phillips received the Sheriff's Medal of Valor a...
RITZVILLE – Public Works Director Todd O’Brien provided updates on the progress of jail repairs and countywide broadband during the Jan. 9 Adams County Commission meeting. O’Brien said the county is waiting for cost estimates from a subcontractor that will apply coatings to jail floors and walls. In addition, his staff is considering the feasibility of moving the jail laundry room to the courthouse basement, he said. The change may require a sump pump with a reservoir to direct water from the washing machine to a sewer line....
RITZVILLE – Police Chief Dave McCormick shared some of his department’s actions leading to the Dec. 30 arrest of Brian Scott Massey during the Jan. 2 City Council meeting. Massey, 35, of Ritzville, remains in the Franklin County Jail on $70,000 bail. Massey has a lengthy criminal history in Adams County, court records show. In addition to three warrants for failing to appear in court on trespass charges, current charges include residential burglary with sexual motivation, attempted indecent liberties, and fourth-degree assaul...
RITZVILLE – In the aftermath of COVID shutdowns and recent staff turnover, the historic Carnegie library on West Main Avenue has faced its share of challenges. "Recovering from that season took time," Interim Director Millie Hopkins said. "Last year, we held only five youth programs each month. We're trying to get back on our feet." With the dawn of 2024, library staff hopes to ramp up offerings for all age groups. Kaiden Bell, who serves as youth services library a...
RITZVILLE – In 2007, Mark and Sandra Weigand left their Snohomish County home to settle on Sixth Avenue here. When they finally departed the west side of the state, Sandra asked Mark, "Aren't you going to look back?" "No, I never want to look back," he said. Born in Newton, Kan., Mark Weigand's family moved to Oregon when he was in grade school. He grew up near the Columbia River and after graduating from The Dalles High School, he joined the Coast Guard. After discharge, h...
RITZVILLE – Three employees of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office will be recognized during an awards ceremony Jan. 10. Sheriff Dale Wagner said the 1 p.m. event in Adams County Superior Court is open to the public. Three distinguished awards – Valor, Lifesaving and Sheriff Star – will be presented to employees who performed their duties honorably, he said, noting each award honors an individual’s commitment to service above self. The names of the award winners have yet to be announced. The Valor Award honors individua...
RITZVILLE – Outgoing Mayor Linda Kadlec shared a a brief history of her tenure and highlighted a few of her favorite accomplishments during last Tuesday's final City Council meeting of 2023. Her comments came during a meeting that also saw the swearing in of new city leadership, including Mayor Scott Yaeger, Ward No. 1 Councilwoman Jessica Quinn, Ward No. 2 Councilman Garrett Blauert and At-Large Councilwoman Jen Verhey. They were elected in the Nov. 7 general election. I...
RITZVILLE – In her 12th season as head volleyball coach for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos, Cari Galbreath led her team to the Class 2B state tournament for the fourth time. This year, the team finished second in state. For the second consecutive year, she was also named Coach of the Year for the Northeast 2B league. Last December, as the 2022 season drew to a close, Coach Galbreath was optimistic. In an interview with The Journal, she expressed excitement about the t...
RITZVILLE – During the Dec. 7 City Council meeting, Police Chief Dave McCormick reported a rash of thefts and burglaries on East First Avenue. Sites included the Ritzville Warehouse office and shop, he said, noting a couple laptop computers and other items were taken, but there were no signs of forced entry. “Mike Miller’s shop at the end of town was also hit the same night,” he said. Most of the items taken were tools. According to McCormick, police gathered a lot of evidence at that site, including fingerprints. He expecte...
RITZVILLE – Local proprietor John Rankin didn't plan to spend three decades of his life in this small farming community. "If you told me 35 years ago that I would end up in Ritzville, I'd have said you were crazy," he said. Rankin, 69, started life in southern California. At age 10, Rankin, his parents and three brothers moved from his birthplace in Whittier, Calif., to Spokane Valley where his father worked for Kaiser Aluminum. During his high school years in Spokane, R...
RITZVILLE – City Councilman will officially become mayor-elect Nov. 28 after Adams County certifies the results of the general election. According to the Adams County Auditor's Office, out of 594 total mayoral votes cast, 375 (63.1%) ballots were for Yaeger. Cory Bartlett, owner of the local Gigamedics computer shop, finished second with 218 (36.7%). After election certification, Yaeger will start his term the new mayor in January; he replaces long-time Mayor Linda Kadlec. Mayor-elect Yaeger is no stranger to Ritzville and A...
RITZVILLE — Sheriff Dale Wagner expressed his disappointment with the sluggish pace of repairs at the county jail during the Nov. 7 Adams County Commission meeting. “I’m getting a little frustrated,” Wagner said. “In April or May, we developed a list of five priorities for refurbishing the jail. As of today, nothing has been completed except the roof.” In Wagner’s opinion, the repairs are not “rocket science.” “The entire list is simple fixes,” he said. “For example, one side of the building was freezing cold as of yes...
RITZVILLE - City Councilman Dennis Chamberlain, Tree Board member Mike Schrag, and Public Works Director Dave Breazeale were on hand to oversee delivery of cement planters for 24 trees along the western end of First Avenue last week. Schrag said the trees-including maple and other varieties-will be planted in the spring. "We want to plant a variety of trees to help to ensure that diseases affecting one type won't spread to all of them," he said. Schrag said $60,000 will come...
RITZVILLE – At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Police Chief Dave McCormick provided a recap and update about the Oct. 5 bomb threat at the high school. Administrators shut down the Ritzville campus in response to a bomb threat sent via email to a school official. At the time, it was not immediately clear if the threat specifically targeted Ritzville or multiple schools. In response, Ritzville and Othello police, Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies, city ambulance and road crews, and two K-9 bomb units from Fairc...
RITZVILLE – Kyya Grant and Anthony Daily of Adams County Pet Rescue highlighted their concerns about an abundance of large dogs and inadequate funding during the Oct. 24 Adams County commissioners meeting. “We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Grant said. “In the past, we’ve had substantial donations that carried us, even when we had fewer dogs.” She said Pet Rescue, 1961 W. Bench Road in Othello, collects $170,000-$200,000 in adoption fees annually, but that’s not enough to cover expenses. Deficits are running mor...
RITZVILLE – Dr. Charles “Marty” Sackmann began employment contract discussions with Adams County Hospital District No. 2 officials last March. Since then, he has been reluctant to share details about those communications. “Up to this point, my silence on the matter has been out of respect to the negotiations process,” he said. But Sackmann’s status at the public healthcare facility became a topic of discussion during a Sept. 27 meeting of Adams Hospital District No. 2 commissioners. The public taxing authority does busine...
WASHTUCNA – Earlier this year, descendants of a group of farm wives from a small rural town in southeastern Adams County celebrated the 100th anniversary of an exclusive club. In February 1923 local women formed the "Country Club" to meet their need for social activity and comaraderie. Two years later, in April 1925, they changed the name to "Progressive Club" to better capture the group's purpose. Each lady would take a turn hosting a meeting at her home, thus "...
RITZVILLE – Museum volunteers Rachel Miller and Jeff Duval were recognized by board members during their annual meeting Oct. 25 in the fellowship hall of the Zion Congregational Church. Susie Kirkendall, vice president in charge of the Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home, praised Miller who dressed in costume at the Burroughs site. "It's amazing how much passion she brought to that task," Kirkendall said. Dale Anderson, vice president in charge of the museum board's train depot, a...
RITZVILLE – Of the roughly 20 residents who attended the Sept. 27 board meeting of East Adams Rural Hospital, several expressed concerns over the breakdown in negotiations surrounding the employment contract of Charles “Marty” Sackmann, M.D. Retired English teacher Kris Schwisow led public comments. “I’m one of about 2,000 of Dr. Sackmann’s patients,” she said. “We patients vote to support this hospital. I feel as though the hospital isn’t supporting me and my doctor.” Schwisow noted that Sackmann, who was born and raised...
RITZVILLE – Last Thursday, a work crew from River City Glass began replacing windows at the Adams County Elections office at 106 West Main Ave. The project kicks off an upgrade that will include several enhanced security measures. "We're putting in new glass at the front of the office that's more up to code," Adams County Public Works Director Todd O'Brien said. "We're replacing the existing plate glass with shatter-proof windows. One of the windows was cracked, so it's d...
RITZVILLE – On the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 4, Brian Packer (aka Brian Massey) appeared at a hearing before Judge Andrea Russell in the Adams County District Court. Packer was transported to the courtroom from a jail in Franklin County, where he has been incarcerated since his arrest last July. He sat next to his defense attorney and faced the judge in red-striped jail garb. Packer’s probation officer was in attendance, as was City Prosecuting Attorney Michael R. Addams via video link. As previously reported in The Jou...
RITZVILLE – Employees of Premier Roofing, a Washington-based firm doing business under Garland/DBS Inc., have started replacing the roof on the Adams County jail. "The roof guys are here," Public Works Director Todd O'Brien reported to the Adams County Commissioners on Sept. 26. "They're on the roof doing work." The project has been on the county's schedule for several months. Last June, the Adams County Commissioners approved the project based on Public Works Department r...
RITZVILLE – Kicking off the budget process for next year, Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt shared preliminary 2024 budget numbers at the Sept. 19 City Council meeting. In the draft budget, four expense categories accounted for roughly 70% of the city’s 2024 ending fund balance (revenues less expenditures) of $9.75 million. These categories included current expense, city streets, water and sewer (billings and reserves), and equipment rental/revolving funds. The remainder of the draft budget covered law enforcement, tourism, cap...