Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 221 - 245 of 690
The Lind Fire Department had a busy afternoon on Saturday, July 16, when they responded to a structure fire. While battling the fire, the department then received a call for a fire on U.S. Route 395. The call came in shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday, for smoke coming from the basement of a home on East Sixth Street. Lind Fire Chief Kevin Starring said a low response of volunteer firefighters resulted in the department requesting mutual aid from Ritzville. By the time Ritzville arrived on scene with five firefighters in a...
The Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School Districts elected to have lead water testing completed in all of the school buildings. All of the tests came back with positive results for the school districts. Former Superintendent Rob Roettger made the decision to have the tests done with other school districts throughout the country have dealt with high lead levels. The testing of the water levels was completed through Educational Service District (ESD) 101, who contracted with TestAmerica in Spokane. The elective testing yielded pos...
After losing one of the Ritzville community’s favorite pastimes when the doors of the local bowling alley closed, the facility has now reopened as Bob’s Big Bend Bowl. The alley is now open Monday through Saturday and is managed by owner Bob Seipp and his family. Seipp has an important bond with the Ritzville alley, as he helped install the lanes. The lanes were moved from Rosalia, and Seipp was instrumental in their installation, which led to the opening of alley and a pop...
As the former Royal High School principal, Matthew Ellis began his role as superintendent for the Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School District at the beginning of the month. Ellis fills the vacancy left by former superintendent, Rob Roettger, who worked in the role for five years. He brings experience as an administrator and a passion for ensuring every student in the districts can receive the highest quality of education possible. Education and a passion for learning have been...
Quality work and customer satisfaction are the two main priorities for the local construction company, Pete Spain Construction. Pete Spain and his wife Diane moved to Ritzville in December 2015 and have since continued their work in construction. Originally from California, Pete Spain Construction is licensed and bonded in Washington state. Pete said he began his work in Ritzville by working for a local rental company and helping convert the Cottage motel into apartments. The...
The Town of Lind is continuing to work towards finding a remedy for the water shortage issues the town experienced during the month of June. While both wells are functioning, the significant drop in water levels has become concerning and led to the Lind Town Council beginning to address and discuss options for the future. During the regular meeting on June 28, Stantec Engineer Alan Gay explained the schedule of events that will occur in the upcoming month to help the council work towards a decision. He explained a hydro...
For countless years, the Ritzville Public Library staff and board members have been researching the possibility of adding a elevator or lift to the historic building. After investigating the options and receiving grant money to assist in the funding of the project, the library is expected to have the upgrade of a lift within the next year. Library Director Kylie Fullmer explained the goal to install an elevator began before she joined the staff almost six years ago. Since beginning as the director, Fullmer said the project...
Haley Roybal is the most recent addition to the Ritzville Adams County Journal team and will now serve as the reporter for the publication. Roybal began her work with The Journal on the Fourth of July to report on the Washtucna holiday festivities, and now looks forward to working with and meeting members of eastern Adams County communities. Roybal is the daughter of Mario and April Roybal, and April opened Ritzville Chiropractic over a year ago in downtown Ritzville. On a...
The Lind and Ritzville School Boards met on June 27 for their last meeting with Superintendent Rob Roettger and welcomed new Superintendent Matthew Ellis. Roettger is moving to the position of superintendent for the Cheney School District after five years with the local schools. Roettger began the meeting by addressing the positives for the school districts. The districts have hired Ellis to serve as the superintendent for the cooperative and Ronanda Liberty to serve as principal for the high school. Along with...
The Ritzville City Council discussed the addition of two marijuana retail stores within the city during the regular meeting on June 21. City Clerk/Treasurer Kris Robbins explained the council had initially had a moratorium on the sale of marijuana when the law first passed. This prevented a retail store from being built within a 1,000 feet of a school, church, or a public gathering or recreational spaces. The now expired moratorium would have restricted marijuana retailers to develop and sell at either end of First Avenue,...
Representatives from Dingus, Zarecor and Associates, PLLC, presented on the audit they recently completed for East Adams Rural Healthcare during the monthly meeting of the Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 Board of Commissioners on June 23. Craig Leone of Leone and Keeble also presented to the commissioners with updates on construction projects during the meeting. The DZA representatives went over the completed financial audit for 2015, and Joe Lodge presented the results to the board. Lodge explained the commission...
For countless years, areas in the City of Ritzville have been plagued by colonies of feral cats. Throughout the next six months, Spay Neuter Your Pet (SNYP) is working to reduce the negative effects of the colonies through a trap-neuter-return program. Funded through a grant from the Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control, the dedicated group of local volunteers will be setting traps throughout the areas deemed with the largest feral cat population. If residents see...
The Town of Lind experienced a water shortage, beginning on June 6, which led to concerns regarding the lack of water in the aquifer and the potential of the well failing. During the June 14 meeting of the Lind Town Council, Stantec Engineer Alan Gay presented on the findings and the current situation of Well 7 in Lind. Gay advised Stantec responded to Lind after learning about bubbles in the water and low water pressure in town. Stantec used well tape to attempt to measure to see the depth of the water in Well 7, but ran...
The Lind Dryland Research Station hosted a large crowd for the annual Lind Field Day on June 16, which highlighted several potential options for area farmers. Along with the updates on spring and winter wheat breeding, attendees also learned about the benefits of winter peas and winter triticale. Stephen Guy and Rebecca McGee provided information to farmers about the success of winter peas as an alternative crop in the dryland area. Guy explained spring peas are not well...
The Ritz Theatre has served as a historic landmark and provided a beloved community pastime for countless years. When the theatre risked closure, the Ritzville Downtown Development Association (RDDA) made the decision to step up to operate the facility. Two years ago, a group of volunteers banded together to host a fundraiser for the theatre in order to purchase a digital projector. The community rallied in support and raised an estimated $8,600 to put towards buying the projector. A final donation helped the RDDA purchase...
The Ritzville City Council turned their attention to a long list of Show Cause hearings during their regular meeting on June 7. The Show Cause hearings address a list of properties throughout the City of Ritzville that have been contacted regarding the need for improvements of the property. Ritzville City Clerk/Treasurer Kris Robbins presented the list of properties in the first hearing and walked the councilmembers through the process, as many are addressing Show Cause complainants for the first time. Robbins explained prope...
Summer is in full swing with the reopening of the Ritzville Water Park on June 10. The local establishment is prepared to welcome patrons back to the pool and is making plans for another successful summer. The pool is under new management this year, with Angalina Vallone moving from her role on the Parks and Recreation Board to the manager position. Vallone brings knowledge about the “behind the scenes” workings of the water park, and she plans to use what she has learned in...
Fourteen combines battled in the Lind Lions Club Arena on June 11 in hopes of becoming the victor of the Lind Combine Demolition Derby. When the dust settled, two drivers remained and split the title of the 2016 Derby Champions. Longtime competitors Chad Overmyer and Jim Oswald took home the title and split the purse for the event. Oswald began competing in the Derby in 2005, and Overmyer joined the competition in 2009. This year serves as Overmyer’s final year of c...
Every year, Lind rolls out the red carpet during the Lind Combine Demolition Derby weekend to welcome visitors into their community and show the best of what the town has to offer. This includes showcasing two residents who have volunteered and supported the community for countless years. The Lind Chamber of Commerce voted and selected Myra Horton and Jerry Busherd to serve as the Grand Marshals for Saturday’s annual parade. The duo will be driven down the parade route in a limousine where they will wave to family, friends a...
Three young ladies will serve as the face for the 29th Annual Lind Derby Extravaganza Weekend on June 10-12 and are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to represent the Lind community. The Derby Royalty court for the upcoming event is Queen Cinthia Guizar and Princesses Chelsie Watterson and Brianna Kin Kade. The three freshmen at Lind-Ritzville High School have attended school together since first grade. While they have shared in the experience of moving up through the school...
The first class of students to attend all four years in the cooperative of Lind-Ritzville High School received recognition for their achievements during the graduation ceremony on June 4 in Gilson Gymnasium. The ceremony honored 44 Lind-Ritzville High School graduates who collectively managed to accumulate approximately $100,000 in scholarships and awards. Valedictorian Dinah Gadberry and Salutatorian Travis Ste. Marie led the Class of 2016 into the gym. After an opening speec...
The Board of Commissioners for the Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 addressed concerns with remaining within the budget for the ongoing construction projects during the regular meeting on May 26. Two representatives from NAC Architecture attended the meeting to discuss the progress and issues that have been discovered during construction. While the contingency money for the entire construction project has not been used yet, NAC Representative Michael O’Malley voiced his concern with how close the district is to h...
Family and friends gathered at the Washtucna School to celebrate and honor the success of three local students. Brittany Gordon, Amanda Miller and Ashley Boyer all received diplomas on May 28 and were officially recognized as the graduating Class of 2016 from Washtucna High School. Washtucna Superintendent Vance Wing welcomed those in attendance to the ceremony and discussed the importance of education. He recognized the three students for their achievements in high school,...
After tough competition at the Regional Tournament, Rose Melville and Travis Ste. Marie are prepped and ready to battle at the State Tennis Tournament to bring home medals. The two athletes qualified for the State Tournament after earning second place in the No. 1 singles Regional contest. Both Melville and Ste. Marie earned the District title in their division before entering the Regional Tournament. Their success helped lead the Broncos to a second place team finish at Districts. Josh Yow also competed in the Regional...
Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School District’s Superintendent Rob Roettger has officially accepted a position with the Cheney School District to serve as superintendent. Roettger has spent the last five years as the superintendent for the two local districts, and is looking forward to a new challenge at a larger district. Roettger said the decision to apply for the job occurred when it became available in March. Prior to the job opening, Roettger and his wife, Esther, had discussed where they would consider relocating to if a...