Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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The "Pastime Bar and Grill" sign has occupied the corner of Ritzville's Main and Washington for decades and is now overseeing a renovation of the storied pub. Dave Benedict and Aimee Guiles purchased the property with the intent of restoring the Pastime to a "warm and welcoming place to bring friends." The two are not unfamiliar with restoring a well-known location, having purchased the old Blue Bike and turning it into the present Boxwood garden center, bakery and espresso...
So ... you couldn't find an evening parking spot anywhere near downtown Ritzville last Saturday evening? Hordes of people streaming toward the Legion Hall? Well, you just got caught in a small town's heartfelt appreciation for one of their own who needed a bit of support in his fight against cancer. The Legion Hall was stuffed with dinner tables, auction items and more than 200 citizens who came to pay tribute and raise funds to benefit Larry Swift, the long-time Director of...
Clouds were still low in the afternoon of Wednesday, April 9th, but the Jimmie Snider Field was dry with a fast track and a bouquet of color as the Bronco thinclads hosted their first home meet of the season against 2B visitors. The season up to this point has pitted Bronco athletes against multiple teams in each meet, many from larger schools with stronger teams than the Broncos face within their own league. This meet not only took place on their home track, but was the first meet of the season where competition was within t...
The East Adams Rural Healthcare Rehabilitation Center lies, nearly unnoticed, on the southwest corner of 10th and Adams. It hasn’t always been that way; for a time, the trim single-story building housed a dental practice. Today, it’s the home of the Rehab Center. Let go of your presumptions over “rehabilitation;” this place brings more benefits to Ritzville and the surrounding communities than many realize. And the reason is best begun with a summary of its history. In the past, rehabilitation therapy in Ritzville was don...
The Lind Town Council met on March 26, and was called to order at 7 p.m. by Mayor Paula Bell. Unfinished business brought up the request by the McKinney family (Farm to Table) to sell fruit and vegetables once a week from a refrigerated truck parked adjacent to the Lind City Park. Councilmembers and Mayor Bell reviewed ordinances to determine the permit fee which would be required. Much discussion centered around the competition Farm to Table would pose to Jim’s Market, which also sells produce. Much of the argument c...
Two different weeks, two different track meets for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos track & field team. On March 20 – long before the snow melted – Cheney High School hosted the first track meet of the season for the Broncos. If you were there, you would have thought you came to watch a track meet in the Himalayas. Ritzville’s track team had few days to prepare – same as many other LRS spring sports teams – and it showed with first-meet jitters and apprehension common among younger and less-experienced teammates. Nine days...
The East Adams Rural Healthcare (EARH) Board met on March 28 for its regular meeting. All board members were present. Two guests visited to make presentations: Sharon Shelton, on behalf of Eide Bailly LLP, and Sharon DeGroot, who is consulting for the Grand Columbia Health Alliance (GCHA). Shelton began with slide charts of how EARH is progressing since finance operational proposals had been put in place. Shelton reported that claims are being paid more promptly and said that with the currently trained staff, the...
More than 200 happy feet traveled home from Lind Elementary School last week. Every child between pre-school and sixth grade got a new pair of shoes on March 27, sponsored by the Lind Cavalry Assembly of God Church through the Assembly of God USA's missions arm, Convoy of Hope. About an hour before classes let out, organizer Kim Schofstoll and her group of volunteers gathered in the main hallway with bags of shoes, which were sorted and marked according to destination...
January of this year found the Ritzville Nazarene Youth Group facing how to fund a project to send some of their group to a Nazarene Youth Conference (NYC) in Phoenix in July. They advertised a raffle for a shopping spree at Harvest Foods. Tickets were $10 each, and the winner of the raffle would receive a one-person, two-cart, ten-minute shopping spree at the Harvest Foods grocery store. The March 2 drawing pulled the ticket that was purchased by Elizabeth Scoles from a member of the youth group who came to sell tickets at...
At the appointed six o'clock hour last Friday evening, the Eagles Aerie lounge and dining area quickly filled with local residents eager to do battle with hard-shelled crab legs and claws at the annual Crab Feed. Large cups of baked beans and coleslaw, two kinds of macaroni salad and garlic bread supported each plate filled with a crab-and-a-half (though it seemed like more). Preparers and meal servers provided attentive table service to ensure all were enjoying the...
If you were at Cheney High School on March 20, you would think you came to watch a track meet in the Himalayas. The sun was out, temperature was in the low 60’s, and under ordinary circumstances, it would be a fine day for a track meet. Even with snow covering the infield, and piles of snow dotting the landscape, the track was dry and fast. What you need to know, however, is that due to the late-winter snows, most participating teams had little preparation prior to the first meet of the season. In fact, Bronco athletes had b...
Next week (April 1–7) is National Public Health Week. Ritzville’s Public Library is celebrating by offering both “go” and “know” events for citizens’ benefit. A Community Health Walk (“GO”) is slated for Monday, April 1. Those who wish to attend are asked to meet in front of the library at noon. The walk is open to the public and all ages are welcome, as kids will be out of school for spring break. The walk begins at the library and follows the Ritzville walking trail to return. Some walkers could complete the walk in less...
A month past the opening of the renovated Pastime speaks to the positive changes and renovation work done at the iconic bar and grill. Sure, the front entry was temporarily closed due to a concrete threshold pour to keep patrons from tripping, but the side/rear entry opens up into a welcoming uncluttered open space. Off to the right, a large raised carpeted floor alcove punctuated by a white bearskin is eye-catching. A couple of wood love seats with pillows, a small round...
The Lind Town Council was called to order on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. After the Pledge of Allegiance, the meeting minutes of February 26, 2019 were read and approved by the Council. Councilmembers Richard Baldwin, Rose Elkington, Myra Horton and Clerk/Treasurer Kylie Buell were present as was Mayor Paula Bell. Councilmembers Jim Dworshak and Kathy Vedder had excused absences. Mayor Paula Bell opened discussion of the Policy and Procedures Manual. Councilmember Elkington recommended changing all “stand by” ver...
Some opportunities occur only once a lifetime; others occur annually. One of the annual ones happens this weekend – at Ritzville's Carnegie Library. With eight years of experience, the Friends of the Library (FOL) sponsor their annual Book Sale in the conference room in the Library's basement. An elevator entrance on the building's side gives easy access to disabled or tired legs. Items for sale come from Library's discarded books and from donations. But this is no ordinary "...
The Board of Commissioners for East Adams Rural Healthcare (EARH) met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 28. Dr. Sackmann reported that new PA-C Juliette Shapiro has been worked into the schedule as allowed. There is a delay in credentialing from some insurance providers, which Dr. Sackmann said is not unusual. He went on to explain their reasons for the drawn-out processes. At the beginning of the week, Ms. Shapiro was credentialed by about 45% of usual insurance providers, including Medicaid and Medicare. She is...
The Lind Town Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 26. Councilmembers Richard Baldwin, Jim Dworshak, Myra Horton, Rose Elkington and Kathy Vedder were present along with Mayor Paula Bell and Clerk/Treasurer Kylie Buell. Steve Nelson from Century West Engineering was present to review the Project Status Update List and answer questions. The Phase II FEMA Project advertised for bids during the week, with a bid opening date of March 27. That project is to pave 6th, 3rd and I, and provide improvements at the...
During the past year, the Ritzville Library has been seeking to display art by local artists-rotating to a new artist every few months. Recently, artist Chelsea Niesel contributed watercolor and pencil drawings, which are presently on display in the library's main room. Chelsea and her parents (Gary and Susan Niesel) are living for a year in local teacher Kathy McAnnally's home while they are on sabbatical in Spain for a year. Initially, the Niesels planned to stay only for...
Approximately 70 FFA members representing chapters from District 9 gathered together in Lind on Feb. 22 for a climax event to National FFA Week. A day full of meetings, games, competitive activities and workshops was offered to participants. Although a number of Ag teachers and advisors were present, all activities and workshops were only facilitated by FFA leaders. The gathering opened with a bonding game, where members untangled from hand-held mixed-up circles of six...
"It was a dark and stormy night." Would you pick a book to read based only on that opening line? That's the operational basis for the "Blind Date with a Book" event happening now at the Ritzville library. We talked with Amy Hille who puts together the Blind Date program. She canvasses her fellow library staff members for book suggestions, selects books that haven't been checked out for a while, and sometimes trolls the stacks for Blind Date candidates. Various selections are...
The Ritzville Public Library now offers help and training for those seeking employment or occupational advancement. The Moses Lake SkillSource office has recently started sending a representative every week to the library to help interested residents find work-related support. A vast variety of helpful programs is available in partnership with Work Source, Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Big Bend Community College, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), Employment Security Department and Job Corps....
The American Legion Hall was filled nearly to capacity with wheat producers from the region on Wednesday, January 30, for the Dryland Wheat Growers Conference. Aaron Esser, Washington State University Agronomist, chaired the five-unit conference with an opening workshop discussing “Increasing Winter Wheat Yield 1 bu/Ac at a Time Through Variety Selection, Nitrogen Management and Weed Control.” Although the hour was filled with information learned from WSU’s variety testing program, he referred those present to wheat perfo...
The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting on Jan. 28 at the Washington Association of Wheat Growers conference room. The general public was welcome. The Ritzville Chamber of Commerce exists to “enhance and promote business and tourism in and around Ritzville.” They do so with advertising (varied media) and events for tourists and resident to enjoy. Chamber officers are Karen Cady, president; Mary Chamberlain, vice president; and Becky Main, treasurer. Donna Matlock, the Chamber’s secretary, opened the m...
Saturday evening, Jan. 26, is the night of a benefit dinner for Larry Swift, Director of Ritzville’s Public Works. The Eagles Lodge and Ritzville Gun Club are sponsoring the dinner and auction event with all proceeds going to Larry Swift. The dinner begins at the Legion Hall at 6 p.m. Tickets for the evening’s activities are $15 pre-sale per person and $17 at the door. Doors open at 4 p.m. with the live auction beginning sometime around 7 p.m. Donations for the auction have been overwhelming, and sponsors said the auc...
The Board of Commissioners for the East Adams Rural Healthcare (EARH) met Thursday, Jan. 24. The call to order was made at 5:30 p.m. Present were Chair Eric Walker, CEO Gary Bostrom; Jennifer Peppperd, Chief Nursing Officer; and Commissioners Ross Heimbidner, Stacey Plummer, Jerry Crossler, and John Kragt. Dr. Sackmann was unable to attend. The first order of business was to introduce Ms. Julietta Shapiro. Ms. Shapiro is the new PA-C and anticipates seeing patients soon. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in New York,...