Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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PULLMAN - Ten high school seniors are competing to represent the state of Washington in the 2021 America's Distinguished Young Women Program. Participants include Ruth Bresee of Coulee City, Molly Williams of Clarkston, Kari Largent of Colfax; Josie Schultheis of Colton, Tanya Alvarado-Castro of Ellensburg, Tovah Brantner of Palouse, Gace Saint John of Ritzville, Emma Anderson-Johnsen of Mattawa, Lauren Tolley of Moses Lake and Kelsi Benton of Pullman. Due to coronavirus...
Travis Willson drives a combine Saturday afternoon, July 25, harvesting soft white wheat on the Kinch Farms field at the corner of Ellinger Road and Highway 261. Riding beside him as signalman is canine Chloe. Several workers converged on the field for the harvest, including Brock Kinch, A.J. Miller, Travis Willson and James Enyeart. James Crittenden, unloading trucks at the Ritzville Warehouse in Washtucna, said harvest began two weeks ago. “We’ve got five farms har...
HATTON – Crews working for the state Department of Transportation will be temporarily closing the southbound on and off-ramp from Highway 395 at the State Route 26 interchange. The closure is part of a paving project on southbound Hwy 395 between Lee Road and the Franklin County Line. Southbound on-ramp closure On Monday, August 3, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., crews will be closing the southbound on-ramp from Hwy 26 to Hwy 395 for crews to pave the on-ramp. During this time Hwy 26 will also be reduced to one lane, with two-way f...
Valedictorian Calby VanHollebeke gave her graduation speech to a small in-person audience while Washtucna High School's graduation was televised over Zoom to those who could not attend Friday, July 31. VanHollebeke was the only one of the three class of 2020 graduates able to attend in person. Also receiving diplomas were Daphnee Smith and Emma Hulett. The Washtucna 2020 Valedictorian's speech is as follows: I would like to say thank you to my family for being my in-person...
OLYMPIA - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal last week suspended implementation of the controversial new "inclusive" sexual education requirements, at least for the fall. In a July 21 bulletin to schools officials statewide, Reykdal cited Referendum 90 qualifying for the Nov. 3 general election for the suspension. "At this time, districts are not required to implement the new requirements outlined in S.B. 5395 for the 2020–21 school year," he wrote. Refer...
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Dr. H. George Frederickson, the lightning rod president who oversaw the transformation of Eastern Washington State College to Eastern Washington University, passed away July 24 at his home in Lawrence, Kan. having just recently turned 86. Frederickson, a 1961 graduate of Brigham Young University, and who earned his master's in public administration from UCLA and a doctorate down the road at USC, was chosen to replace Emerson Shuck who had served Eastern...
RITZVILLE – The city awarded $220,000 in hotel/motel tax funds to nine recipients for usage in 2020, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, only $50,288 of the funds have been claimed. The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce was awarded $40,000 for special events and tourism marketing, and has so far requested $3,015 to be reimbursed. The Ritzville Downtown Development Association was awarded $12,000 for maintenance and operation at the Ritz Theater, requesting $4,881 to be reimbursed. John Rankin said it was spent on Personal P...
SPOKANE – In the wake of the coronavirus and new state requirements to begin teaching “inclusive” sex ed to students as early as kindergarten, it’s shaping up to be a banner year for homeschooling. Last week, the Washington Homeschool Organization reported new parental interest in personally managing their children’s education had quadrupled. The reasons are varied, according to director Jen Garrison Stuber, who teaches homeschool parental qualifying classes. Traditionally, homeschool families opt out of public education...
RITZVILLE – School board members approved 2020-21 budgets for both Lind and Ritzville July 22. Budgets requested by The Journal were not available by press time. Lind board members approved accounts payable of $44,943, transportation cooperative accounts payable at $6,279 and payroll for July at $316,275. Ritzville board members approved accounts payable for the general fund of $92,172 and $2885; transportation cooperative at $6,279; Associated Student Body at $3,799; capital funds at $3,457 and payroll for July. Lind b...
RICHLAND – Adams County Health Department announced an Adams County resident in his late 70s passed away at Kadlec Medical Center July 23. The name of the individual was not released. The health department did not specify the cause of death of the male, who was a resident of Coventry House Assisted Living in Othello. The health department called it the first Adams County “COVID-19 associated death,” and said a diagnosis of COVID-19 was laboratory confirmed. A death investigation at Coventry is underway. Coventry House Assis...
Ritzville youth Kaylee Crittenden, 10, and Leland Bowman, 10, keep cool Sunday afternoon, July 26, by filling cups of water in the fountain next to the Railroad Depot, and splashing each other. "It's really hot today," Crittenden said. Temperatures in Ritzville hit the high 90s over the weekend....
July 11 Citizen Assist – 2200 West Hwy 26, Othello A subject lying on the side of the highway showed signs of intoxication and was given a ride to a family member’s residence. Agency Assist – Othello Police Department Deputies assisted Othello Police Department with taking Emmanuel Jose Prado, 26, into custody after a domestic violence investigation. Death Investigation – Othello Deputies conducted a death investigation in the Othello area. Alarm – 700 block South Hillcrest Road Othello False alarm. Domestic – 2200 block West...
I am a 76-year-young retiree; geologist/farmer/mechanic/U.S. Army. As a former scientist, the numbers and percentile for the COVID-19 deaths look real good. The CDC/prevention doctors mean well but are overreacting; overly cautious and pessimistic. Their viewpoint and harsh medical criteria carries over to federal/state/county public health authorities. Cases and confirmed cases are referring to those testing positive, not infectious as sometimes erroneously stated by the media. Only 15 to 20% of persons testing positive...
There are two legal options to respond to a state budget deficit: The governor orders across the board budget cuts, or a special session of the Legislature occurs liquidating the deficit. The first is a blunt instrument allowing no thoughtful response. The second provides the people’s legislative branch of government the opportunity to deliberate a more surgical response. Gov. Jay Inslee, however, has made it clear he doesn’t plan to call a special session to allow law...
When I was going to school a whole bunch of years ago there was a question that was sometimes asked concerning a popular subject. “What if they had a ______ and nobody came? Now the blank was always something extremely popular that everyone would want to see. Such as in 1964, what if the Beatles scheduled a concert in Spokane and nobody came? That would have been very hard to believe and was always met with a laugh or two. So what if the Major League baseball season started a...
Local makes Dean’s List GALESBURG, Illinois – Lacey Miller of Ritzville has been named to the Knox College Dean’s List of distinguished students for the 2020 Spring Term. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must have earned at least 2.5 credits in the term, with a grade point average of 3.6 or better (on a 4.0 scale). Miller’s major is Undecided at Knox. Three on Honor Roll for SFCC SPOKANE – Three local students made the honor roll at Spokane Falls Community College for spring quarter, which ended in June. Students mu...
WALLA WALLA – Levi Allen was one of six students in the first class to graduate with a bachelor of applied science in agricultural systems, June 11. This is the first class to receive a four-year degree from the college. Allen, 24, graduated from Washtucna in 2014 before getting his Associate of Applied Science degree, a prerequisite to the bachelor program, at Walla Walla Community College. The son of Byron and Karyn Allen, he grew up working on a wheat farm and was home h...
RITZVILLE – Lind-Ritzville alum, from left, Robert Valdovinos, Dirk Dahlman and Shontz Yeager roll in style in 2006 Honda Acuras. Valdovinos, class of 2016, said he bought his after graduating high school, and his buddies soon followed suit. "I knew I wanted one, before he got his," Yeager, class of 2019, said. "I was looking for a different one, found this, and thought, 'okay,'" Dahlman said. "Three or four more of our buddies in town have them," Valdovinos said. All three a...
ADAMS COUNTY – If you're looking to get out of the house or out of town, East Adams Library District has four Discover Passes available for library patrons in good standing to borrow for up to two weeks at a time. A program called "Check Out Washington" offered by Washington State Parks in partnership with the Washington State Library, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources makes the passes available for purchase by library distr...
Louise Helme Kinch, 88, went to be with Jesus, on June 2, 2020. She was born Nov. 4, 1931, to John Paul Helme and Bessie Myrtle Griffith Helme, in Ritzville, Wash. Louise grew up in the home built in 1900 by her grandparents, Matthew Elmer Helme and Mollie Benefield Helme. Mollie secured the original homestead in 1895 after moving from Pike County, Ill. in 1889. The family continues to farm the original land. In 1950, after graduation, she married Rod Kinch. In 1952, after...
LIND – A house and shop were spared Tuesday, July 22, when Adams County Fire Protection District No. 2 firefighters and other volunteers worked together to put out a fire during afternoon high winds. Assistant Fire Chief Rubben Labes said the page went out around 12:30 p.m. for a fire on 5th Street, west of the middle school, that burned up mostly weeds before threatening a home and a shop. Labes said when the fire got inside the shop, they had to break in to the building o...
1 years ago The Ritzville Journal-Times July 1920, 1920 Fat Men Make Lake Level Rise A party consisting of Henry L. Schaefer, John Oestreich, Jake Bastron and Jake Dewald were over at Soap Lake the first of the week. Mr. Bastron found a man there who weighed more than he did. Mr. Bastron tips the beam at 265, but this man, who was from Wallace, touched 340 pounds. The two men got in the water and credible witnesses claim they surely raised the level of the lake. Mr. Bastron...
RITZVILLE – The Lions Club cooked 250 half-chickens at their annual BBQ July 24. Killing two birds with one stone, the event raises funds for the club while feeding hungry farmers a noon meal during the busy harvest season. The Ritzville Lions' Club had members on scene at the fairgrounds by 5:45 to get the grill going. The birds were barbequing by 7 a.m., over volcanic rock heated by propane. Flames flashed, lit up by dripping chicken fat; while steam rose, generated by A...