Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague basketball teams were on the road at Upper Columbia Academy (Spangle) on Monday, Jan. 31. The Bronco boys won handily over the (1-7, 1-6) Lions by a score of 68-47. The girls also prevailed over the Lions (2-4, 1-4) more than doubling their score, 63-29. Individual statistics were not reported for either game. On Feb. 1, the Broncos played the last home games of the season against the Liberty (Spangle) Lancers. The Liberty girls (14-1, 7...
RITZVILLE – Dr. Nelson McKay (30) joined East Adams Rural Health Care in October 2021. An Iowa native, McKay attended Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. Not knowing exactly what he wanted to do, he studied business and biology. Following Ashford, McKay enrolled in Ross University School of Medicine in the Commonwealth of Dominica, an island country in the Caribbean. After completing the 2 year medical sciences curriculum, McKay did 2 years of clinical rotations at various teaching hospitals in the United States and U...
RITZVILLE – Marnie Boyer (59) is a Physician Assistant Certified (PA-C), who has been at East Adams Rural Healthcare since 1997. She says “I love it here”. Being able to build relationships is one of the more satisfying parts of the job. She specializes in family medicine and has patients who she says “I have known since they were a pink stripe on a pregnancy test.” Marnie got started in healthcare working as a nursing assistant at a long term care facility where her Grandmother was a patient. She says “I wanted to keep an...
RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville High School campus was locked down Thursday morning, Jan. 27, after one student allegedly threatened another. According to Superintendent Don Vanderholm, the lockdown began at 8:30 a.m. and lasted about 50 minutes. A 16-year-old boy came to the school and made contact with Principal Kevin Terris, allegedly telling him he was going to “mess up” another student, Vanderholm said. Staff members at the school were able to detain the student until law enforcement arrived. Officers from the Ritzville P...
RITZVILLE – The Bronco and athletics communities are coming together to help a local county and his family. As of press time, a donation account for Jason Hilzer had raised more than $7,000 from 60 donations. The funds come as Hilzer readies for a bone marrow transplant. In July 2021, Hilzer – a Lind-Ritzville/Sprague assistant football coach, and head wrestling and baseball coach – was diagnosed with leukemia. Hilzer has been missing from the field and the mat, but is often mentioned by Lind-Ritzville athletes and coach...
RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos boys and girls basketball teams took big wins Tuesday, Jan.25, over the Odessa Tigers. The boys team doubled up the Tigers 76-38. Jayce Kelly led all scorers with 16 points and Chase Galbreath added 13. Jacob Scrupps had 14 for Odessa. The tigers leave town with a 4-7 record overall and 2-3 in league play. The girls also put up big numbers against the Tigers, winning by a score of 52-33. Dakota Killian had 19 for the Bronco while Amalia Court added 15. Hayden Schuh had 13 for Ode...
MONROE – A memorial scholarship is being established in the name of Jackson David Weaver, who passed away from leukemia on Dec. 16, 2006. Jackson's father, Reid Weaver, is a 1979 graduate of Lind High School, a retired police officer from the city of Monroe and a former instructor at the Washington Police Academy. His father was a school principal in Warden and mother worked as a Nurse in Moses Lake. In addition to Jackson, Reid and his first wife, have two other grown c...
LIND – In November, Ritzville School District Business Manager Dana Telecky left for a similar position in Davenport. Since then, the District found an opportunity to standardize finance and human resources practices. E Lind and Ritzville School Boards approved hiring Kris Robbins as shared business manager between the two districts at a regular board meeting Monday, Jan. 24. Robbins previously served as Ritzville Grade School secretary since January 2021. Tina Shuler, former Lind School District business manager, has been na...
OTHELLO – The Adams County Development Council has a new leader. Kyle Niehenke, 32, was been named executive director of the Adams County Development Council, effective Jan. 3. Niehenke succeeds Stephen McFadden, who left in November 2020 to take a position at the Port of Pasco. Niehenke grew up in Ephrata and attended Washington State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, joining Big Bend Electric Corporation in 2014. He spent several y...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Treasurer Kayla Meise presented a letter and affidavit to the Board of County Commissioners concerning uncollectable personal property taxes in Adams County during last week’s meeting. Taxable personal property can include equipment; fixtures and supplies used in business activity, and can also include mobile homes. Unlike “stick-built” homes and other improvements on real property, mobile homes can be taxed as personal property, because they may be located on property not owned by the home owner,...
RITZVILLE – With ballots for the upcoming special election to be dropped off or post marked by Feb. 8, Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt reminds voters to sign their own return envelope. “A lot of people think we never look at signatures,” she said, noting it’s not tru. The signature on each returned envelope is manually compared to the signature on file at the Adams County Elections Office. Even in larger counties, this one-by-one examination of signatures happens with each returned envelope. Envelopes with signatures that do...
OLYMPIA – Adams County — including the cities of Lind, Othello, Ritzville and Washtucna — is among 13 proposed construction projects to receive Broadband Infrastructure Acceleration grants from the Washington State Broadband Office. The projects are aimed at providing reliable high-speed Internet access to unserved and underserved communities across the state. According to the state Department of Commerce, which oversees the grant process, Adams County is set to receive $10.3 million in funding for a project expected to cost...
RITZVILLE – The right lane of westbound Interstate 90 and the Schoessler Road off-ramp were closed Monday, Jan. 24 for approximately 10 hours following a crash. The trouble started around 4:40 a.m. when a tractor-trailer overturned near the freeway exit., officials said. Temperatures at the time were in the mid-20s and ice and freezing fog were in the area. Westbound oversize loads were detoured off the freeway at Tokio Exit 231, and routed down Danekas Road, to the S...
RITZVILLE – A plea agreement was reached Jan.18 in the case of Brian Massey, 33, in Ritzville District Court. Defense Attorney Sara Duross Porto told Judge Andrea Russell that a mental health evaluation for Mr. Massey had been completed by Dr. David Medved from Eastern State Hospital and. Massey had been found to be competent. With the evaluation completed, the defense and city Prosecuting Attorney John Kragt asked for a resolution in the case which called for a continuance for dismissal on the city charges, with credit f...
RITZVILLE – City police officers will be getting new Tasers in the next few weeks. Police Chief Dave McCormick gave a department update at the Jan. 18 City Council meeting, noting the his department would be replacing all Tasers. A Taser is an electroshock weapon used to temporarily incapacitate a subject. Two of the department’s current Tasers are no longer supported by the manufacturer, Axon, formerly TASER International, he said. The remaining Tasers are expected to be dropped from manufacturer support within the next yea...
RITZVILLE – A local businessman died unexpectedly last week due to a medical emergency. John Freeman, 51, co-owner of Cow Creek Mercantile and Café, experienced a medical emergency Jan. 19 at the café and passed away. Freeman and his partner Arne Braaten took ownership of Cow Creek Mercantile and Café at 1611 S. Smittys Blvd. in January 2021, and operated the popular local business for a little over a year. Freeman ran the restaurant side of the establishment. From a Jan....
RITZVILLE – Ballots were mailed Jan. 21 in advance of the Feb. 8 special election, when voters will decide a number of school district levies. Voters in the Ritzville School District have two levies to consider. The first levy replaces an expiring levy on all taxable property in the District, for support of educational programs and operations expenses not funded by the state. The levy amount is for $914,000 per year to be collected in 2023 and 2024 at an estimated rate of $2.25 per $1,000 in assessed property valuation. The s...
RITZVILLE – Citing increased coronavirus cases, East Adams Rural Healthcare is prohibiting patients from having visitors at its 903 S. Adams St. hospital and clinics. The hospital announced its new coronavirus-related restrictions Jan. 13. “Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in and around our community, we will be stopping all visitors to our acute and swing patients at this time,” officials posted to hospital social media. “One caregiver may still accompany patients who need assistance for clinic visits, as well as one...
RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague boys basketball game Jan. 4 against Northwest Christian (Colbert) is postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests in the local program. The girls game against the Crusaders is also postponed. Both games are expected to be played Jan. 21, at home in Gilson Gymnasium. Because of the issues, all athletic practices were cancelled Jan. 6, when the school district went to remote learning due to inclement weather. On Jan. 7, the Bronco basketball teams traveled to Chewelah, where both boys and g...
OTHELLO – Two men are in the Adams County Jail in connection with a drive-by shooting near Othello. Eddie Barajas, 34, is charged with reckless driving, drive-by shooting, possession of a stolen firearm and carrying a concealed pistol without a permit, court records show. Kevin Morris, 26, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, drive-by shooting, possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm, records show. At a Jan. 7 court hearing, Adams County Superior Court Judge Andrea Russell set bail for B...
RITZVILLE – The Adams County Board of Commissioners elected a new chairman, and set a new meeting schedule for 2022 during its Jan. 5 meeting. The new chairman is District No. 2 Commissioner, Jay Weise. The meeting schedule has been changed from Monday and Wednesday to Tuesday and Wednesday. The new meeting schedule is intended to streamline and shorten the turnaround on decisions. The board can hear and consider county business during the Wednesday session and be ready to a...
RITZVILLE – If you have lived here for a while, you know the city does not always get enough snow for sledding. This winter is not one of those years. With seasonal snowfall approaching 20 inches, Mayor Linda Kadlec took time Tuesday, Jan. 4, to invite winter sport enthusiasts to try the sledding hill. The hill is located off the alley west of the intersection of Broadway and Jackson streets, overlooking the Pru Field airport. Riders start straight down the hill then enter a...
RITZVILLE – A pair of cases of local interest, along with changes of attorneys and standardized processes, were part of the proceedings in Ritzville District Court on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Brian Massey, 33, appeared by remote audio/visual connection from the Adams County Jail for a readiness hearing. Brian Massey of Ritzville was arrested on a probable cause of trespassing at the Ritzville Golf Course and numerous warrants issued by Adams County District Court. Massey is facing charges in connection with trespassing at R...
RITZVILLE – Public Works Director Dave Breazeale recommended last week the City Council hold off paying the final installment to the contractor in the Pete’s Lift Station project. Pay estimate No. 7, the final payment to POW Contracting, is slated in the amount of $52,492.61. During the Jan. 4 City Council meeting, Breazeale said the Public Works Department received “no fewer than 20 alarms over the holidays” for various conditions at the pump station. He recommended delaying approval of the final payment until the Jan. 18...
RITZVILLE – One man is dead following an early morning fire Dec. 31, just outside of the city. "The victim is expected to be identified as Glenn Foley, age 76," Adams County Prosecuting Attorney/Coroner Randy Flyckt, said. An investigation into the death and the circumstances of the fire is ongoing by the Adams County Sheriff's Office, Adams County Fire Marshal and Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. Adams County Fire District No. 1 responded at 4:44 a.m. Dec. 31 to a fire a...