Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Three Webelos Scouts from the local troop are hosting a car wash at Wheatland Bank in Ritzville from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 13. All of the funds raised at the car wash help the Webelos attend a camp in August. Wheatland Bank is located at the corner of First Avenue and Division Street in Ritzville....
The most emotional moment during the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Ritzville is the luminaria ceremony that takes place on Friday night at the Ritzville Rodeo Grounds. The ceremony begins promptly at 10 p.m. when the candles are lighted inside the bags and the names of those who have battled cancer are scrolled on a projection screen. Organizers of the event are encouraging anybody to attend the nighttime ceremony and show support for those who have struggled with...
The Inland Northwest Blood Center is bringing a mobile bus to the Ritzville Relay For Life to host a blood drive from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Ritzville Rodeo Grounds. The mobile bus will be located alongside the rodeo arena next to the grange building at the west end of the arena. Community members and Relay participants alike are encouraged to donate during the event. Minor consent forms, for donors under the age of 18, can be picked up at The Journal prior to the event and will also be available at the mobile. Donors are... Full story
Friday, July 13 Noon to 5 p.m. – Team/vendor set-up 5 p.m. – Registration opens (Teams check in: survivors pick up sash, shirt and balloon) 6 p.m. – Opening Ceremony: American Cancer Society message, sponsor recognition, presentation of the colors. 6 p.m. – National anthem 6:15 p.m. – Survivor Ceremony/Survivor Lap 6:30 p.m. – Parade of teams 6:30-8 p.m. – Survivor’s Dinner, Knuth Building 7-8:30 p.m. – Music by Garrett Bartley 10 p.m. – Luminaria Ceremony 11:30 p.m. – “Miss... Full story
The Ritzville Rodeo Grounds and Wheat Land Communities’ Fairgrounds are the center of a celebration on Friday night into early Saturday morning as local residents join together to walk throughout the night to join in the battle against cancer during the 2013 Relay For Life of Ritzville. Relay For Life serves as a unique fundraising event for the American Cancer Society as individuals, businesses, civic organizations and corporations clear their schedules to partake in the at least 15-hour event. The Relay For Life of R...
Ritzville branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) is hosting a reception for potential members on Thursday, July 18, from 4-6 p.m. at the Dr. Frank R. Burroughs’ Home. All individuals who have earned an Associate Degree or a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university are eligible to join the local organization. AAUW’s promises that by joining the organization it helps individuals belong to a community that breaks through educational and economic barriers for women and girls. All quest... Full story
The Lind Community Church in partnership with Littlerock Community Fellowship of Olympia are hosting a free soccer camp from 6-8:30 p.m. on July 15-18 at the Lind Elementary School field. The camp includes Bible lessons, skit performances and is guaranteed fun. Participants can preregister by contacting Pastor Jeremy McLellan at 677-3328. Registration is also available the first day of camp.... Full story
Sixteen AFS Intercultural Programs/USA exchange students spent a few hours in Ritzville during their last day in the United States on June 23. The students, from Honduras, Japan, Belgium, Egypt, Italy, Chile, Spain, Germany, Thailand, Denmark and Austria, were en route to Sea-Tac and their flights to their home countries after spending over 10 months in communities in Northeast Oregon and Eastern Washington. While in Ritzville, the group participated in an orientation to help prepare them for their reentry into their native...
The Washington State Department of Commerce announced 14 cities and counties to receive a total of more than $9 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for 2013. Among the list of recipients are the Town of Lind and Town of LaCrosse. The 14 projects were selected from 34 grant applications, requesting over $23 million. The grants help improve rural water, sewer and street systems; support affordable housing; and construct food bank, health and senior service facilities. The Town of LaCrosse received $300,000 in...
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...
Washington State Patrolmen responded to a single vehicle fatality crash on U.S. Highway 395 on Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m., eight miles south of Lind. The accident claimed the life of 18-year-old Linessa Abernathy, a resident of Kalispell, Mont., was the passenger in the vehicle. Ryan Ek, 18, had been driving the 2005 Chevy Aveo when he fell asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to drift off of the roadway, crossing the median and rolling across both southbound lanes, coming to rest off of the roadway. Ek, also from... Full story
After over 38 years in law enforcement, Adams County Sheriff Doug Barger has announced his retirement from his tenured position as leader for the county police department. Barger is retiring from his position as sheriff, effective Sept. 1, before his position as sheriff ends in 2014. The decision for retirement for Barger is based on the desire to spend more time with his family and to retire from a position he loves before the passion for the job has dwindled. Barger... Full story
Advanced Excavation of Moses Lake was the apparent low bidder for a major intersection and street improvement project in Ritzville. The company’s bid for the Division Street/Smitty’s Boulevard/Bauman Road Improvement Project was $541,188.06. On Tuesday, July 2, Ritzville City Council members authorized the mayor to award the bid once the conditions were met. The award is contingent upon the state’s Transportation Improvement Board and the city’s engineering firm Varela... Full story
The 24th annual Spokane Hoopfest tournament held on June 28-30 hosted a total of 7,070 teams and spanned 42 city blocks in downtown Spokane. A total of 17 local teams participated. One local team, Show Me Your Tweets, earned championship honors in the high school male division winning Bracket 260. Team members are Dylan Hartz, Colby Starring, Connor O’Neill and Bridger Smith. Earning second place in the adult female division, Bracket 315, is the Wucky Ones, which included m...
A memorial service is scheduled on July 14 for lifelong Ritzville resident, Marjorie Ann (Oestreich) Lefevre who died at the age of 81 on Jan. 3 in her home in Ritzville. An open house for family and friends will be hosted at her home on Fairway Avenue from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday. Followed by the memorial service at 6 p.m. at the Ritzville Memorial Cemetery. The Neptune Society of Spokane assisted the family. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to the American Diabetes...
Pauline “Polly” Louise (Pennell) Hennings died at the age of 89 on Saturday, June 29 at her home in Ritzville. She was born on Dec. 28, 1923, to Claude and Anna (Duffy) Pennell in a farm home near Hay, Wash. She attended McNeilly School when the family moved to Wilcox and upon a later move, graduated from Prescott High School in 1941. She attended Washington State College until 1943. She worked at Falkenberg’s Jewelry Store in Walla Walla, and later as an assistant teacher in...
Terry Rae (Geschke) Jirava died at the age of 65 on Friday, July 5. She was born on Jan. 28, 1948, to Robert and Joan Geschke in Spokane. She graduated from Ritzville High School in 1966. She married Wayne Jirava on Feb. 23, 1974. She began working at Hands Café as a waitress in Ritzville, and then went on to waitress at Jake’s Café. Later on she worked at the local Ritzville Bakery, Spike Drive In, Spikes Food Mart and Deli and then finished her career at US Bank. She enj...
Alma “Allie” S. Benzel, a life-long resident of Ritzville, died at the age of 91 on Monday, July 1. She was born on Nov. 17, 1921, to Jacob and Katherine (Schoessler) Ils at the family farm between Ritzville and Odessa. After graduating from Ritzville High School in 1939, she worked a variety of jobs before becoming a teller at Old National Bank. In 1945, she married Lawrence W. “Larry” Benzel and together they operated Benzel Ford Sales for over 30 years, while raising... Full story
Jim Preston, in his letter of 20 June 2013, was concerned with Section 7 of EARH No. 2 Resolution No. 13-03. Mr. Preston was concerned that the hospital board could do something, anything, or nothing with the $10 million if the bond issue be passed by the voters. The Walker’s, in what supposedly was a response to Jim Preston, ignored the issue and changed the subject. But Jim Preston is not the only EARH No. 2 voter concerned with the issue of Section 7 of the EARH No. 2 resolution. Perhaps there is no issue to concern voters... Full story
Several months back, I would have been the first to tell you our community didn’t need a new hospital. What we had was good enough. It was good enough decades ago when I had two of my kids there; and the rooms look exactly the same. So I figured it was good enough now. Recently, I have spent considerable time in our hospital. Mike has had several lengthy stays there. I’ve seen first-hand how difficult it was to get him to the bathroom with a walker – the bathrooms aren’t equipped for walkers. It took delicate and dangero...
Do We Really Need a White Elephant? Having worked as an EMT (1983-1991) and staff member at East Adams County Rural Hospital, I can tell you that the idea of floating a $10 million bond on the backs of taxpayers is pure folly. I know, 20 to 25 years ago is a long time, but some things never change. The front page of the July 3, 2013, issue of the Ritzville Journal says it all, “Hospital Revenue Improving, Not Yet Profitable.” This headline could have been written, 10, 15, or yes, even 25 years ago. Take a gander at the Mee...
Right off the bat I want to most graciously say thank you to all the wonderful people that were involved in getting both of the Benefits for the Tracy’s off the ground and so very, very successful. I have enough room in this letter to state each name I know of who has helped in every way, large or small, but I am too afraid of leaving someone out and hurting someone’s feelings. Records were kept up to minute of these benefits, but when more and more donations and money kept pouring in to me, Peggy, Dawnell and delivered to... Full story
I’ve heard about a few people that took some time off from their regular jobs to start on the great American novel that would certainly bring fame, fortune and notoriety. To do this the person would need a real good story with a plot to keep the reader in suspense and keep them from setting the book down. No easy task for sure. I like to read something that keeps me in suspense or makes me think. A well-written article or book can certainly do that. I would think doing somethi...
Brian and Emily Gordon of Ritzville are pleased to announce the arrival of a son, Camden Craig Gordon, born on Wednesday, May 22, at 6:17 p.m. At birth, Camden weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 19 and one half inches in length. He joins brother Jax. Maternal Grandparents are Marva and Craig Ulleland of Ritzville. Paternal Grandparents are David and Carol Gordon of Walla Walla. Maternal great-grandparents are Gary and Ronna Galbreath of Ritzville, Richard Miller of... Full story