Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 193
RITZVILLE – In conjunction with the city’s ongoing water distribution project, Public Works Director Dave Breazeale said he has received several phone calls from residents concerned about cloudy and oily water. At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Breazeale addressed those concerns. “It’s unsightly, for sure,” he said. “But we lubricate our bearings with food-grade vegetable oil. It’s not hazardous to health. When the city blows out water lines, oil that’s solidified and collected in the pipes can end up in the water.” In...
RITZVILLE – When he's not waving to the crowd from a classic car in the Labor Day parade, Jerry Snyder, this year's grand marshal, steers tractors over ground homesteaded and plowed by his great-grandfather. As a fourth-generation farmer, the 72-year-old traces his Eastern Washington roots to the early 1900s when Birney Moses Snyder first arrived from Michigan. "My great-grandfather didn't like the mess after the Civil War, so in 1909 he traveled here in a covered wagon w...
RITZVILLE – The City Council unanimously agreed to map Ritzville Memorial Cemetery, pending approval of a $50,000 grant offered by the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. If approved by the state, the grant will cover most of the estimated cost of $52,775 for mapping services provided by contractor ViaVista Mapping. City Clerk/Treasurer Julie Flyckt also noted that a portion of the city’s utility tax revenues might be used to supplement grant funds, if needed. “Several people want to see the cemetery ki...
RITZVILLE – Student enrollment in Lind-Ritzville schools is steady. Total enrollment for all schools in the Lind-Ritzville cooperative clocked in at 588 students this year, according to schools Superintendent Don Vanderholm. That’s in line with previous years, both pre- and post-COVID restrictions. Since 2018, enrollment numbers for the entire school district — comprising Lind and Ritzville elementary schools, the combined middle school and Lind-Ritzville High School — have fluctuated between 588 and 610 students. Records...
RITZVILLE – At its first meeting in September, the City Council unanimously approved POW Contracting’s first payment for its work on the city water distribution system. The payment will be an estimated $633,455 — roughly a third of the original contract price of $1,714,230. It covers project materials, most of which are now onsite. The pay estimate also included mobilization, administration and “potholing” existing water mains. “Potholing” involves placing a small hole in the ground through a process called vacuum excava...
RITZVILLE – Revisions to the city's water distribution system got a later-than-expected start this summer, but the project is finally moving forward. "The project includes about 5,000 feet of new water main and a dozen or so valve replacements at various intersections throughout town," contractor Ben Varela of Varela and Associates said during a March 7 City Council meeting,. At that time, he estimated construction would start by early June at a final cost of $2-$2.5 m...
RITZVILLE – Nuisance properties remained at the forefront of the City Council’s twice-monthly meeting Aug. 15. During public comments, Jessica Quinn, a candidate for City Council Ward No. 1, shared the results of her online research of Arlington, Kennewick and Spokane nuisance ordinances. She noted that Spokane Valley updated its municipal codes in May. That city’s revised code provided stricter rules and remedies — including receivership and explicit timelines — for dealing with chronic nuisance properties. “I bring this...
RITZVILLE – Forty women from all over Eastern Washington braved five hours of stifling heat to test their golfing skills at the local "Puttin' on the Ritz" ladies golf tournament Monday, Aug. 13. According to coordinator Ronna Galbreath, the first such tournament was in 2005. It's continued nearly every year since, until COVID-19 mandates shuttered the event in 2020. It finally returned this year, Galbreath said. In golfing terms, the tournament was a two-person "best ball" e...
RITZVILLE – An upcoming change in state law has prompted Adams County officials to take a look at how a coroner is selected. During the Aug. 8 Adams County commissioner meeting, Prosecuting Attorney Randy Flyckt discussed changes to Revised Code of Washington 36.16.030 will require the county to hire or elect a coroner. As the law currently stands, in counties with a population of less than 40,000, the prosecuting attorney may serve as an “ex-officio” county coroner, performing some of the legal functions of coroners. As of...
RITZVILLE – The family of Harry M. and Mary (Kissler) Tompkins gathered Sunday, Aug. 6, at the city park to celebrate the couple's 100th wedding anniversary. Although the couple passed away more than three decades ago, their children and grandchildren keep their memory alive by routinely celebrating their wedding anniversary. According to granddaughter Vernita Coffey, 114 people attended the family reunion and wedding anniversary; some met each other for the first time. A...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Development Council Executive Director Kyle Niehenke doesn’t sugarcoat the obstacles to commercial development here. Yet, he remains optimistic. At the weekly Adams County Commission meeting Aug. 1, Niehenke discussed his attendance at a recent commercial conference in Las Vegas, Nev. “I wouldn’t say all the feedback about Ritzville was positive,” he said. “Developers don’t hold back. They share their honest opinions.” He observed that some locals have the mindset that “it’s just too expensive here,...
RITZVILLE – A local resident wants the city to do something to about nuisance properties. During the Aug. 1 City Council meeting, resident Rod Larse called on the city to take vigorous action to address ongoing problems with nuisance properties. On the docket that evening was a property at 205 Turner St. According to a nuisance resolution, the property contained "a cluttered yard, littered dwelling, multiple vehicles, tires, scrap piles, debris, materials accumulation, buildin...
RITZVILLE – For more than two hours, city council and mayoral candidates answered questions at the New Ritzville Theater last Thursday evening, July 27. Candidates sat spotlighted on the stage behind a long table as about 70 residents faced them in rows of theater seats. Dale Anderson, who served as master of ceremonies, requested each candidate's thoughts on a variety of questions as City Clerk/Treasurer Julie Flyckt tracked response times. "This is not a debate," Anderson s...
RITZVILLE – Although Harry M. and Mary (Kissler) Tompkins passed away over three decades ago, their children and grandchildren keep their memory alive by routinely celebrating the couple's wedding anniversary. "We've had a family reunion picnic the first Sunday in August to celebrate their anniversary for as many years as I can remember, usually at the Ritzville City Park," granddaughter Vernita Coffey said. This year will be especially memorable. "We are honoring their love w...
RITZVILLE – Adams County commissioners are mulling options for assisting local veterans, especially those who must deal with federal and state bureaucracies. At a July 11 meeting, commissioners were briefed by state Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Services Administrator Steve Gill, whodiscussed ways the state might provide funding for a local veterans service officer. For the last 12 years, Gill, a disabled veteran himself, has been working to develop a network of county and tribal service officers statewide. He o...
RITZVILLE – The City Council has tentatively agreed on a "co-location" site to house broadband internet services. During a Tuesday, July 18, meeting, the council tentatively agreed to using the city's former fire station on West First Avenue. The site features a 12-foot by 12-foot building and two smaller structures and will be used to house a backup generator and fiber-optic storage vault. In a letter to the City Council, Adams County commissioners described the building a...
CHENEY – This isn't Carlie Loop's rodeo... and it isn't her first experience as rodeo royalty. But the Ritzville Rodeo queen is enjoying her time in the saddle as her hometown rodeo's representative at activities across Eastern Washington. Last week, she was among the visiting royalty at the Cheney Rodeo, where she also participated in that city's grand parade. "I've already been to four rodeos and several parades, including the Reardan Mule Days, Coulee City and Lind C...
RITZVILLE - Stop by the Railroad Depot Museum and you'll see a variety of antique farm implements available for viewing by curious city slickers and modern-day agricultural workers alike. You'll find a snow plow, right-lap plow, one-bottom plow, two-bottom plow, even a foot-burner plow - all dated from the late 1800s to early 1900s. Other implements have more mysterious names. For example, what in the world is a "duck foot cultivator"? How about a "slip weeder"?...
RITZVILLE - Triple digit temperatures didn't deter music lovers who braved the heat to enjoy hot dogs, snow cones, craft booths and an eclectic mix of bands Friday evening and all day Saturday, July 7-8. Sponsored by local businesses and the Ritzville Downtown Development Association, the event included performances by local band Big Dawg and the Howlers, as well as blues artist Bryan Warhall. Funky Unkle - a Spokane-based funk band featuring two saxophones, trumpet, bass and...
RITZVILLE – A local woman is boiling mad after an unmarked vehicle sprayed for mosquitos without any advance warning. Resident Jessica Binnendyk said an unmarked white truck with government license plates, flashing yellow light and a “fancy fogging machine” was recently motoring down her street, spraying for mosquitoes. “Somebody was driving the streets of Ritzville spraying and fogging things,” she said. “They were putting poison in the air and nobody notified us in advance so we could get our dogs and kids inside.” Sh...
RITZVILLE – Mayor Linda Kadlec may schedule a public forum to enable residents to hear from candidates vying for mayor, City Council and other elected positions. According to City Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt, details for a candidate forum have yet to be announced. So far, five candidates have filed for the position of Ritzville Mayor. They include Jack Curtis, Keanu Niezwaag, Glen Stockwell, Scott Yeager and Cory W. Bartlett, records show. Ten candidates have filed for City Council seats. Candidates for at-large positions i...
RITZVILLE – An officer-involved shooting is going to impact Adams County Sheriff’s Office operations for months to come. In the aftermath of the shooting, Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner met with county commissioners Tuesday, June 27, to discuss the impact on his agency’s operations. Three of the county’s law enforcement officers have been placed on administrative leave after Ramon Morphin, 29, of Warden, was shot and killed while deputies tried to arrest him at a business in the 700 block of Kulm Road, Wagner said. The she...
RITZVILLE- Having completed her first year as a lifeguard, Kendra Hannahs will work this summer as an assistant to Water Park Manager Donna Kessler. Hannahs hails from the Puyallup area. Two years after graduating high school in 2020, she met her fiancé—a diesel mechanic at the Love’s Travel Stop—through a mutual friend. The couple is planning a September wedding. That’s why she switched from lifeguard to assistant manager. “Honestly, I’m getting married in September and didn’t want the tan lines,” she said. Teaching swim le...
RITZVILLE – Patrons of this year's local fireworks stand will see significant improvements in the both the booth and its stock of fountains, sparklers, rockets and Independence Day noisemakers. Set up in its familiar location near the Conoco station off Division Street near the Interstate 90 interchange, the new booth will be newer and more secure than the previous wooden structure. According to Brad Gering, council member at the Ritzville Foursquare Church that sponsors t...
RITZVILLE – The City Council unanimously raised golf fees at the city-owned fees following a June 20 public hearing in which nobody testified. The green fees is increased $2 during the week and $5 on weekends, under the ordinance. Having received no public comments, either in writing or at the public meeting, finance committee member Councilman Mike Schrag described efforts to develop a modified fee schedule. “We didn’t just grab numbers out of the air, put them on paper, and tell Julie (Flyckt, the city’s Clerk/T...