Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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The local hospital district has been scrambling in October to respond and address a broad list of deficiencies identified by the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington State Patrol Fire Protection Bureau. The deficiencies were cited by the agencies during a state hospital licensing survey of the facility on Sept. 24-26. The results of the survey stated the hospital failed to meet several Medicare Critical Access Hospital Conditions of Participation. The multi-page Statement of Deficiencies is complex and at...
If you look over the list of elected positions in Adams County that appear on the ballot this November, they are numerous. The vast majority of those are individuals seeking election in uncontested races. There are a few contested races, most notably the Mayor and two council positions for the Town of Lind. These positions serve great purpose and come with significant responsibilities that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whether you are a commissioner of a cemetery district or a parks and recreation district, a city council m...
Scoring 42 unanswered points in the first half against Northwest Christian, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos spent the game working on the fine points of their game. The team went on to defeat the newest member of the Northeast 2B League 56-3, relying primarily on junior varsity players to maintain the lead. Head coach Greg Whitmore began subbing in the second quarter. The varsity starters never returned to the field after that. Whitmore and the rest of the coaches in the northeast 2B League have a history of coming off...
Four touchdowns by Connor O’Neill and 486 yards of total offense led the LRS Broncos to a 40-21 defeat of the Warden Cougars. The Broncos’ defense was equally successful, shutting down the Warden running game. The Broncos allowed just seven yards of rushing. They also hindered the passing game, pressuring the quarterback and giving up only 145 yards passing while snaring two interceptions and a fumble. The Broncos set the tone in the first quarter, putting up 19 points and...
Without question, the best news when the storm subsided Sunday evening was that no one was seriously injured or killed. There was notable property damage to homes and public facilities, but everyone walked away relatively unscathed. While many were left in the dark as a result of power outages, no one lost their homes or their lives. In the morning light on Monday, a true testament to community became clear. Volunteers began arriving at Ritzville City Park and Ritzville Municipal Golf Course to help clear the massive amount...
Photographers are faced with a very difficult situation these days. Especially if their pictures are what they rely on to cover their living expenses. Not to mention the extraordinary cost of their equipment. The advent of smart phones with reasonably advanced camera technology means everyone is now a photographer. Not necessarily a professional photographer just the same. For photojournalists, portrait photographers and wildlife and landscape photographic artists, that means we face a major shift in terms of how our work...
Ritzville alumni who are eager to purchase bricks from the old high school once demolition is complete may have to wait a bit longer to learn if they will have that opportunity. What will happen to the bricks, wood and debris will depend on what a city council committee recommends regarding the handling of those materials. Eastside Wood Recycling of Moses Lake was hired last week by the city to commence demolition. The total contract for the tear down of the building is...
I have some pretty hectic days. Some make me wonder why I didn’t opt for a job that simply required a 40-hour work week and a time clock. To be honest, some of my days are riddled with scheduled appointments and infused with unexpected surprises. The daily schedule is always fluid and sometimes completely derailed by unexpected events. For instance, I hadn’t really planned on walking around the upper floors of the old high school on Monday or I would have opted for boots instead of dress shoes and brought a flashlight to go...
The Ritzville Downtown Development Association is moving ahead with its plans to renovate and reopen The New Ritz Theatre. When Dora Kramer and her family opted to retire from running the local movie house, the RDDA was faced with a number of difficult decisions. The Kramer family ended its tenure as operators following the July 5, 6 and 7 showing of Monsters University. The RDDA met Monday, July 8, to consider its options. The nonprofit organization has not yet raised all the funds necessary to replace the outdated electrica...
Overall, voter turnout in Adams County fluctuates wildly depending upon the nature of the election. For instance, one of the best voter participations on record in recent years was the November 2012 General Election when 75.76 percent of voters sent in their ballot. The 2012 primary election, when the county’s new superior court judge was elected, went a bit differently. Only 45.9 percent of registered voters participated. A meager voter turnout should never be the case. Preservation of a democracy relies on the p...
A new public hospital is a weighty investment requiring careful consideration rather than swift emotional reactions or knee jerk negative responses. This is an expensive long-term investment we all must give careful, rational consideration to. A few key questions should be considered. Are we willing to pay what it will take to ensure the best possible care locally in a medical emergency? If we don’t invest in a new hospital, will millions in renovations to the existing hospital be the best investment of taxpayer dollars? W...
Gary Bostrom, the chief executive officer of Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2, has the task of serving as the “answer guy” for the district when it comes to the proposed $10 million general obligation bond needed to construct a new hospital. Washington campaign/election laws prohibit Bostrom from asking voters to vote in favor of the bond. However, he is allowed to present facts, figures and information about the bond and the district’s need. On many occasions during the past few months Bostrom met with commu...
Through the end of May, the City of Ritzville has spent $24,306 in an effort to deal with the old high school on Seventh Avenue at Division Street. Legal fees and expenses incurred in June are not included in the preliminary figure. Tuesday, July 2, following an executive session, the council authorized the mayor to sign a court motion that would clear the way for an earnest money agreement between the city and a yet unidentified buyer. The interested individual will not be identified until the earnest money agreement is in...
With preliminary concept drawings in hand, hospital district commissioners voted to support a building committee’s recommendation to designate property owned by William Heineman along State Route 261 as the preferred location for a new hospital. The site would be used if voters approve a $10 million general obligation bond that will appear on the Tuesday, Aug. 6, primary election. The commissioners also learned the district will host an open house on Tuesday, July 16, from 4 t...
Just about every day someone expresses their frustration over the closure of Division Street. Folks are frustrated and fed up with the inconvenience of the blocked roadway. If you’re accustomed to zipping up or down Division, sailing along the straightaway east and west from one end to the other of the city, the chain link fence, caution tape and barricades are aggravating. Imagine the impact it has had on Steve and Vicki Poling and their small business, a daycare located within the closed portion of the street. Moms and d...
Less than a dozen citizens and business owners attended the City of Ritzville’s open house Tuesday to learn more about a series of construction projects and infrastructure improvement efforts that will be underway throughout the summer and into the fall. Engineers from Varela & Associates mingled with the audience during the informal session, gathering around a wall that displayed the maps of the major projects and explanations of the costs and timelines for each. Ritzville C...
When Dan Duff was a high school teen looking for a way to earn a few bucks to support his growing golf habit, he turned to then course manager Ron Barker for a little help. Barker promptly set him to mowing the course to help pay for Duff’s first set of golf clubs. From that effort grew a love for the game of golf and an interest in the proper care and grooming of a golf course. Little did the Ritzville High School student know that his early golf excursions would lead him t...
The Ritz Roadhouse has been an evolving, challenging work in progress for aspiring restaurateurs Bob Bajwa and Joe Sandhu. They have made major investments of time and resources to rescue a deteriorating structure and deliver on their plan to have a first class eatery. Those efforts are beginning to pay dividends. As the operation nears the completion of its first year, the owners and staff are finding their groove and are eager to see how locals and travelers respond to a com...
Bob Tracy’s battle with Leukemia began a year ago. The fight continues as he and doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) work to prepare his body for a bone marrow transplant. Currently staying in the Pete Gross House, Bob and Sandy Tracy have temporarily relocated to Seattle for what was expected to be a 120-day transplant process. Recently the plan was altered when Bob’s body didn’t respond well to pre-transplant treatments. Back in Ritzville for the weekend, the couple explained that Bob’s kidney functio...
City officials, fearing the possible collapse of at least one wall of the abandoned old high school, have closed Division Street at Seventh Avenue, and the Ritzville School District’s agriculture shop has been evacuated and will likely remain empty for the rest of the school year. The old high school’s wall facing Division Street is bowing outward and it appears the roof has collapsed over the auditorium portion of the school, which is a new development. Police Chief Dave McC...
Bob and Sandy Tracy are on a long journey. It’s far from the kind of trip anyone would plan if they were in charge of their future. Bob’s locked in a battle with Leukemia and doing everything he can to coax his body through a grueling process in order to have a bone marrow transplant. Ever by his side, Sandy is experiencing much of Bob’s odyssey as his wife and caregiver and facing her own struggles as she stands steadfast alongside her man. Cancer is such a wicked, heartless disease. It invades, it dominates and disru...
From the first few days after I realized I would be a journalist, during my sophomore year in a California high school, I knew I would also carry a camera. Loosely translated, I’m a photojournalist. Long before I was a publisher or managing editor, I worked in the trenches as they say, recording community events, documenting the outcomes of sporting events, and chasing fire trucks and ambulances. My camera, reporter’s notebook and pen became permanent attachments 30 years ago. Even in high school I roamed the halls with a P...
The grocery store, local restaurants and the sidelines of sporting events have a tendency to become mini conference centers for me. The beauty of rural community newspapers is the fact most readers and residents know who the publisher and editor are. People we have never met recognize us and know what we do for a living. The end result is we often find ourselves in impromptu conversations about things happening in the community. Often times during these spontaneous chats someone will ask me a question about a specific thing t...
Question the actions of local government as often as you like. Elected leaders and publicly funded administrators should not be allowed to operate without oversight. The beauty of the system in Washington is that government must be transparent and accountable as established by state law and repeatedly supported by judges in Washington courts. The public records laws and the Open Public Meeting Act provide certain assurances that the public will be allowed to monitor elected officials and public entities. This is needed and va...
I write every week. In fact, I have written and published “something” almost every week of my adult working life. In fact, there’s a list of things I’d like to write about. The list ebbs and flows as time passes. Some things finally progress from a list to finished product. Others are scratched, often due to lack of time, lack of information or a loss of interest. Most likely that is how it will be for the rest of my days. There’s plenty of ideas in my head, more ideas than time. One specific type of writing that I have migr...