Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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In the competitive world of business recruitment, communities usually compete against each other to recruit new companies. Four economic development groups are taking a different approach by working together to collectively market a five-county region of Washington state. Eastern Washington Economic Development Alliance members believe business and industry will find the region appealing. They also agree marketing the merits of the region provide companies with choices, a broader selection of land sites and cities that...
In 1963 President John F. Kennedy used this phrase in reference to a major economic development project. The popular belief is that the President’s speech writer, Ted Sorensen, first saw this phrase on a sign. It was the slogan for a regional chamber of commerce, the New England Council. How do those words apply today, to Adams County? In 2007, when a group of community leaders and stakeholders gathered around a table to discuss the idea of forming a nonprofit economic development council, we quickly adopted the mantra t...
After some self-examination, the Lind Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors wanted to establish a priority list. Of themselves, they asked, how can they make Lind better? How can they bring new businesses, more residents and more visitors to the town? While considering the possibilities amongst themselves, and searching for the right first step, the nonprofit group’s leadership agreed the best first step was to ask the town’s current residents what their priorities were. To tackle the task, the chamber called a town hall m...
In early April, the Ritzville City Council responded to Police Chief David McCormick’s request for an increase in base salary for police officers and sergeants working for the city. McCormick sought the increase due to recruiting challenges he was experiencing, while attempting to hire a new police officer to fill the vacancy created when Hunter Klewin left the police force to become an Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy. At that time, entry-level police officer working for Ritzville would be paid $614 a month less than their pee...
If you stop along Division Street when a local Little League game is being played out, you will be entertained by the games while witnessing “community” in action. While Little League is a massive nationwide organization, at the local level, volunteers are at the heart of the program’s success. From the local governing board to coaches and umpires and countless supportive parents, Little League succeeds here on the backs of those who want to do something good for their community. This season, between Lind, Odessa and Ritzv...
Ten years and six weeks. That’s how long I have served as the publisher of The Ritzville Adams County Journal. I took ownership of the newspaper from Dee and Duane Ruser on April 1, 2004. Becoming a newspaper owner on April Fools day just seemed poetic to me at the time. Back Then It seemed so surreal that year when there was a reception at The Journal’s office to welcome me to the community. The Rusers were very gracious and the staff supportive, albeit nervous since they didn’t know what to expect from the new guy. A more...
In early morning light on Wednesday, the charred skeleton of the horse barn overlooked the Wheat Land Communities’ Fairgrounds. Its metal roofing warped and twisted from the heat of the raging fire that raced through the wooden structure Tuesday night. The fire was first reported at 9:25 p.m. as a possible brush fire. It took just a few moments to realize the situation was much worse, as Ritzville Police Sergeant Mark Cameron was first on scene and found the horse barn e...
After dismantling Reardan, 14-2, in the first league battle of the season on Tuesday, the LRS Broncos fell in the twilight game of the doubleheader, 5-2. In the first game the Broncos had their way with Reardan, scoring four runs in the first inning, another in the second and nine more in the fourth. LRS took the first game in five innings. Tyler Frederick picked up the pitching win, going the distance, fanning seven batters, walking two and giving up two hits. “He was pretty efficient with his pitches and his off speed s...
If viewing a major motion picture is the goal, you can do that anywhere. If what you seek is to combine a bit of nostalgia with modern entertainment, then the venue you select must be carefully chosen. Ritzville has always had a diamond in the rough with The Ritz Theatre. These days the Ritzville Downtown Development Association has taken great steps to transform the theatre into a true performance venue, a precious gem for this rural community. The soft opening in late March was a showcase of the theatre’s future potential,...
The Lady Broncos sent Reardan home Tuesday with a pair of Northeast 2B League loses and a clear message. The message? The Lady Broncos are building a successful fastpitch program and league opponents should expect them to play with heart and determination. The opening game ended with a 7-6 win that came with plenty of drama in the final inning. After six innings, LRS held a 5-3 lead. In the top of the seventh, Reardan put three runs on the scoreboard to take a 6-5 lead. In...
In order to collect $26,000 in trail funds from Adams County for its walk and bike path project, the City of Ritzville has to be willing to do something for the county in return. Adams County Commissioners want the city to annex 3,300 feet of Weber Road that currently borders the Ritzville City Limits. As long as the council commits to completing the annexation within two years, the county will immediately provide the trail funds for the walk and bike path phase due to be constructed this summer. Council member Ben Cross was...
In about a decade, the Ritzville Police Department has hired, trained and then lost three entry-level police officers to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Ritzville Police Chief David McCormick contends the departures are primarily driven by the salary and compensation package offered by the sheriff’s office. To compound things, lateral entry police officers are not banging on the local department’s door looking for jobs either. When Hunter Klewin recently resigned to take a position as a sheriff’s deputy, McCormick opted t...
The season’s first doubleheader Tuesday didn’t end quite the way the Broncos would have liked. They split the outing with Connell, winning the second game in five innings, 12-2, but lost the first game, 13-12, after leading 11-0. The first game was anchored early by ace Tyler Frederick, who turned in four-plus innings on the mound. After four innings, with an 11-0 lead, Frederick had thrown 43 pitches, struck out two and walked one. “Our goal was for him to throw 65 pitch...
Three wins in four games means the LRS Lady Broncos’ fastpitch team is headed in the right direction. Tuesday, LRS recorded wins in a doubleheader with Moses Lake High School’s C squad, giving the seven eighth grade athletes a chance to gain experience in a high school outing. Going into the games, head coach Paul McAnally said he planned to play a lot of girls in a lot of different positions. The team took the first game 16-6 in six innings. Jana Mattox got the win as pit...
A pair of wins at the WIAA 2B Hardwood Classic produced a fourth place trophy in the state championship tournament for the LRS Broncos and their roster of veteran players. With a pack of seniors who have amassed a truckload of honors and wins in several sports, the Broncos overcame a first round loss to the eventual state champions, the Morton-White Pass Timberwolves, to defeat Northwest Christian and Mossyrock for the trophy. The Broncos fell to MWP in the first round on...
On paper, the best team in the state tournament bracket that isn’t from the Bi-County is Morton-White Pass. The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos have had a taste of the Timberwolves during the past two years, winning back-to-back state football championships against them. This time the two teams will clash on a different playing surface. They meet in the opening round of the WIAA 2B Hardwood Classic on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. in the Spokane Arena. Morton-White Pass will most a...
Ritzville Drug’s new owner is following in the footsteps of their father. This is a case of like father, like daughter. Pharmacist Corinna Gray took ownership of Ritzville Drug Company on Jan. 1, purchasing the business from Sam and Debbie Duncan. Most of the store’s customers were familiar with Gray when the transaction occurred. She worked here for her father for two years in 2005-2007, shortly after he acquired the business from Loren Schuler. Additionally, she has per...
Finishing as the No. 5 seed to the regional tournament means the road to the WIAA 2B Hardwood Classic has to go through Colfax on Saturday. The LRS Lady Broncos must defeat the Lady Bulldogs when they meet at 2 p.m. at Cheney High School. The winner advances to state, the loser’s season is over. “We don’t have to tweek a lot of what we do to win,” head coach John Galbreath said. “We need to compete the whole game. If we do, we are going to be fine. If we don’t, then we are...
Saturday’s regional basketball tournament is a single game event for the teams who have advanced this far. The winners earn a trip to the state tournament. The losers pack up and go home until next season. The LRS Broncos intend to make the most of it. A win catapults LRS to the Spokane Arena next week for the three-day WIAA 2B Hardwood Classic. A trip to state must go through Lake Roosevelt. The Broncos meet Lake Roosevelt at 4 p.m. at Cheney High School on Saturday. “I like...
After losing to Northwest Christian in Saturday’s round of the sub-regional tournament, the LRS Lady Broncos rebounded and collected a Monday victory over Davenport. The win sends them to a Friday night contest at Mt. Spokane High School against DeSales from District No. 9. The game is currently scheduled for 8:30 p.m. The Lady Broncos need the win for a chance to play for the No. 3 or No 4 seed to the regional tournament. That game would be played on Saturday. Head coach John Galbreath has been reviewing film and watched D...
Head coach Dustan Arlt isn’t fond of Monday games. He’s even less happy about playing Northwest Christian on the President’s Day holiday. In the past two seasons, the only times the LRS Broncos have lost to the Crusaders has been in the sub regional tournament on President’s Day. “It’s ironic,” Arlt said. The Broncos opened the sub-regional tournament Saturday in Waitsburg against Waitsburg-Prescott. The Broncos simply overpowered WP and rolled to a 78-33 win. Then in Monday’s semifinal battle with NWC, a rocky first half cre...
The Dec. 20 multiple vehicle wreck on Interstate 90 was a harrowing experience for many motorists. The injured, walking wounded and even those just stranded by the experience were tended to by an impressive local team of emergency services personnel, many of whom are volunteers – firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Fire District 5 sent 12 firefighters in five different rigs to the accident scene and to do traffic control away from the scene. Three more crew members...
On paper, CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom expects Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 to end 2014 with a positive bottom line, albeit a conservative estimate. When commissioners met in a special session on Tuesday, they unanimously approved a 2014 budget that projects a $1,522 positive bottom line at the end of next year. Total operating revenue for 2014 is estimated at $4,628,923. Coupled with $658,516 in non-operating revenue, including $583,000 in property tax support, Bostrom predicts the district will come out ahead of the...
The LRS Broncos ended DeSales’ state playoff experience in the first round Friday with a 41-14 manhandling of the Irish. The win cleared the way for a rematch with Northeast 2B rival Colfax in a quarterfinal battle that will be played out on the field at Cheney High School on Friday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. Three Northeast 2B League teams remain in the state playoff bracket. Colfax defeated White Swan, 22-14, and Reardan prevailed over Oroville, 41-20. While the Broncos meet up w...
Northeast 2B district Champions, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos have moved into the WIAA 2B state championship bracket. The Broncos’ first playoff test comes Friday night at home at 7 p.m. when they host the DeSales Irish of Walla Walla. The defending state champions have won 22 straight. They have manhandled their opponents, showed class by working to avoid running up scores for no reason and learned a few unexpected lessons along the way. Last Friday, the Broncos met N...