Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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The Washington Hospitals Workers’ Compensation Trust has selected East Adams Rural Hospital (EARH) Chief Nursing Officer, Brenda Herr, as the recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Safety Leadership award. CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom is presenting the award to Herr during the regular board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 25. Bostrom represented EARH and received Herr’s award during the Washington State Hospital Association meeting last week. The workers compensation staff members that work with Herr and other staff members at EARH chose the... Full story
While most families use the holidays and birthdays for quality family time, the Baumann cousins took family bonding to the extreme last month. The team of seven, appropriately titled “Dirt Happens,” joined the Tough Mudder challenge to complete a 12-mile obstacle course at a coal mine in Black Valley. The seven members who endured the course were Brian Baumann, Beth Baumann, Stacie Baumann Davis, Kristen Schneidmiller Herron, Brandon Herron, Grae Newman and Dan Abbott. New...
Challenger for the Adams County Commissioner District No. 2 is candidate Oscar Garza. For the past 24 years, Garza has been a resident of Othello with his wife, Gracie, and their three children. As a businessman, Garza is committed to assisting with economic development in the county. His decision to run for commissioner is based around the need for change and term limits. “I feel they (term limits) are necessary, for the reason that if you have somebody for a long time, t...
The Ritzville branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) hosted a public forum for the county commissioner candidates and an informational discussion about the capital levy for improvements on Jimmie Snider Field that will appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. Each candidate was provided 20 minutes to speak with the audience and answer questions. Candidates for county commissioner district one are John Marshall and incumbent Rudy Plager, and district two candidates are Oscar Garza and incumbent...
Superintendent of Lind-Ritzville schools, Rob Roettger, served as the guest speaker at the regular meeting of the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Oct. 11, to discuss the upcoming capital levy request on the general election ballot. The two-year capital levy is for improvements to Jimmie Snider Field in the Ritzville School District with tax collection beginning in 2013. The proposed levy is $195,000 per year, with an estimated tax collection of $.66 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Roettger passed out a...
With two terms under his belt, incumbent Roger Hartwig is seeking re-election as Adams County Commissioner District No. 2 for a third consecutive term. Hartwig currently resides in Othello with his wife, Barbara, and has a strong background in agriculture business. For Hartwig, his time as a commissioner has helped him gain knowledge about the area he is representing and the issues that occur there. “I think that you need to be in office longer than one or two terms, there is...
After maintaining a 3-0 record in league and defeating teams by 40 points, the LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Tigercats had the tables turned last Friday night against Touchet, ending in a 24-70 loss for the Tigercats. The first two quarters were an exchange of points for the Tigercats and Indians. Touchet ran in a touchdown at the buzzer for halftime, putting the Indians ahead by a touchdown and leaving the halftime score at 24-32. “I thought for two and a half quarters we p...
Bright colors and intense designs will captivate any and all visitors to the First Friday Artist Reception on Friday, Oct. 5, with featured artist Terri Cody. The reception begins at 5 p.m. and concludes at 7 p.m. at the Ritzville Art Gallery on Main Avenue. Cody is well known for her figure vases, three legged mugs and fish heads that she has created for the past 20 years. The reception is highlighting some of her newest creations and more elaborate pieces that have not... Full story
The King of Rock and Roll is taking center stage during the “Rock and Roll” themed evening at the annual East Adams County Healthcare Foundation Wine and Microbrew Tasting and Auction on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the C.J. Newland American Legion Memorial Hall starting at 6 p.m. Elvis Wendlandt is performing for all in attendance and brings authenticity to the rock n’ roll night. Wendlandt officially changed his name to Elvis in 1995 and has spent the majority of his time since then portraying himself as the King and enter...
A new public figure has joined the variety of metal sculptures in the Ritzville community with the addition of the “On the Scene” statue outside of the fire station. Dennis Sackmann, with the help of other local firefighters, created the tribute sculpture to honor firefighters who have passed away and those who have dedicated 25 years of service. The concept for the sculpture began at a firemen’s meeting in early March when Rural Fire Chief Scott Kembel asked those in atten...
Like the majority of chronic diseases, Type 1 diabetes does not discriminate based on age, and the Boettcher family discovered just that when two-year-old Connor was diagnosed last year. A small, energetic boy, Connor was suddenly worn out and unable to retain fluids, causing the family to have to rush him to the hospital. Today, Connor is as healthy and happy as any three-year-old boy, the only difference between him and other boys his age is the insulin pump clipped to his...
The first day of school brought a new school year and also a new principal for the Washtucna School District as Brent Seedall was welcomed into the Washtucna community. With 25 years of educational experience under his belt, Seedall recently accepted the title of principal of Washtucna School District. Seedall served as assistant principal at Sandpoint Middle School, then as assistant principal for Cheney Middle School, was the principal for Deer Park Middle School for 12...
The Ritzville Art Gallery is welcoming local authors David Michaelson, Miles Athey and Sharon Coleman as the First Friday artists for September. The trio is going to be signing copies of their individual published works as well as discussing their upcoming publications. Ritzville resident, Athey, plans to have his most recent publications available at the book-signing event. The “Crab Creek Chronicles” are a historical fiction about the Ritzville area in the early 1800s and...
A group of adorable youngsters captured the hearts of visitors during the livestock shows at the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair on Labor Day weekend. The four children, ranging in age from five to seven, bravely walked into the show ring with livestock animals on Thursday and Friday, and became champions in more than one way. Canyen Whitaker, Chase Galbreath, Alyssa Williams and Camron Olson first gained recognition during the market judging classes on Thursday. All of these e...
The distinct creativity and talent of local artists has been captured in the metal sculptures that span throughout the entire city of Ritzville, and this weekend, five of those artists are to be honored for their contribution to the community. Lamar Thiel, Jake Harder, Sherryl and Vince Evans, and Annie Trunkle-Smart all have the honor of being named as grand marshals for the annual Ritzville Community Parade on Saturday, Sept. 1. The grand marshals’ float starts the parade at 11 a.m., as the group sits atop a decorated, f...
Over the past four years, AgVentures NW, LLC have been involved with wheat strip trials in Eastern Washington, and earlier this summer, Mike Miller hosted a field day at his family farm. AgVentures NW is owned by Reardan Grain Growers, Inc. and Odessa Union Warehouse Cooperative, being officially formed in May of 2007, but has been in operation since 2005. The company has around 50 different storage facilities at 22 locations spread throughout Spokane, Lincoln, Adams and...
Kris Robbins, city clerk-treasurer, spoke to the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce during the general membership meeting on Thursday, Aug. 16, about the progress towards a discovery center in Ritzville. Formally known as the Wheat Interpretive Center, the project is now being deemed the Washington Agriculture Discovery Center and Business Park. Robbins serves as the city’s liaison for the Ritzville Public Development Authority (PDA) board, which spearheaded the idea of the discovery center. The city is currently working o...
For Brett and Dan Blankenship, wheat farming has always been in the family. But these brothers have more in common than just being experienced combine drivers; they both have also served as the president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG). Brett and Dan are partners in Blankenship Brothers Joint Ventures and farm in the Washtucna area. On Sunday, Aug. 12, the brothers could be found operating Case combines on the hillsides above the house that they had been...
A fundraiser breakfast to replace the damaged air conditioning unit in the H.E. Gritman Senior Center is being hosted by staff members from Rose Garden Estates on Saturday, Sep. 1. The breakfast takes place before the Ritzville Community Parade from 7:30-10:30 a.m. at the Senior Center. Biscuits and gravy, or breakfast burritos, served with coffee or juice cost $5, while maple bars with coffee or juice costs $2. A silent auction is also ongoing during the breakfast and the fundraising group is continuing to look for...
Local wildlife and landscape paintings are the specialty of Tom Seward, a Coulee City resident who brought his artwork to the Ritzville Art Gallery on July 27. Seward focuses on acrylic paintings but also has experience with sketching and etching. An avid fisherman, Seward’s work is typically based on the animals and landscape native to the waterways of Eastern Washington. Originally from Southern Illinois, Seward relocated to the area in 1978 because of a job opportunity i...
Liz Gillette has been selected as the First Friday art show at the Ritzville Art Center on Friday, July 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. Gillette plans to display a wide variety of quilts, wall hangings and table runners that she has created in the last 30 years. Most of Gillette’s artwork is for sale, but some pieces she is bringing for display purposes only, such as her antique quilt squares. Gillette received the old quilt blocks as a gift and discovered they were from the 1800s. B... Full story
Anders Forselius is on a cycling journey from Olympia, Wash., to Olympia, Greece, but his adventure expands beyond just a biking trip. Forselius, also known as the Biking Viking, has a mission to bike through all 50 states and during his time there, compete in at least one marathon per state. He passed through Ritzville on Wednesday, June 20, staying one night before continuing on to Spokane. Forselius biked from Pasco that morning, covering about 83 miles in his daylong...
At the age of 60 and a veteran of the Vietnam War, Sam Duncan may have believed that his fight was over, but what he did not realize was that the real battle was about to begin. It started in January of 2005, when Duncan discovered a slight bump on the right side of his neck. Concerned that he may have an illness, Duncan went to his doctor for a consult. “The doctor said that it was a swollen lymph node,” Duncan said about the initial observation of the lump. “He said, ‘It’s...
Nearly 240 members of the Kulm family gathered together at the Ritzville Wheat Land Communities’ Fairground’s on June 22-24 to celebrate the 20th reunion in the family’s history. This is the first time that the Kulm family has traveled to Ritzville for their family reunion. The family traveled from all over the United States, as well as from Germany and Turkey, to attend the celebration. The oldest member in attendance, June Brown, is 94 years old and serves not only as the f...
When the Ritzville Water Park opened on June 12, pool managers Cory Whitmore and Courtney Flynn were ready and excited for business. With a half-day at the Ritzville schools that day, the pool immediately filled with children eager for the beginning of summer. Joining the two pool managers are 12 lifeguards, five who are returning and seven new lifeguards who received their certification this year. During a work shift at the pool, there are typically five lifeguards and one ma...