Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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Trinity United Methodist Church (TUMC) is hosting the annual Worship/Picnic in the Park on Sunday, Aug. 11, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Ritzville City Park. The event starts at the covered picnic area in the park with the adult Sunday school class. Attendees are asked to bring their own lawn chair and Bible for the morning classes and worship service. At 10:30 a.m., Pastor John Hunsberger begins the worship service, focused around the theme of “trees.” Immediately following the worship service, those in attendance are wel...
City may be forced to take ownership and demolish old high school Following a lengthy executive session Tuesday, the Ritzville City Council voted unanimously to set a deadline for a potential buyer of the old high school on Seventh Street. If the buyer doesn’t act by the close of business on Friday, the council reluctantly decided to take possession of the building and move forward with its demolition in an effort to eradicate a nuisance. For several weeks, the city has been waiting for the unnamed buyer to sign an earnest m...
The Ritzville Municipal Golf Course is hosting a Ladies Golf Tournament on Monday, Aug. 12. The ladies tee-off at 9 a.m., with an estimated 40 women participating in the tournament. Around 40 women from out of town are expected to join the Ritzville ladies’ group of the Ritzville Golf Association, with Ronna Galbreath serving as chairman for the tournament. The group is playing nine-holes of a best ball format, followed by a nine-hole Chapman format. The Ritzville Municipal Golf Course is closed for the tournament and is e...
With school starting the first of next month, Sterling Bank is starting the annual Backpack for Kids drive. The four-week drive began on Aug. 1 and runs until Friday, Aug. 23. Sterling Bank asks for community support to donate backpacks and school supplies to the drive. Monetary donations are also accepted and monies collected will go toward purchasing supplies still needed. At the conclusion of the drive the Sterling Bank employees assemble the items and deliver to local K-5 grade students, prior to the start of school on...
David Michaelson has three books being named as finalists in the annual awards competition by the Military Writer’s Society of America. The awards are announced at a convention in Dayton, Ohio, at the end of September. The three books receiving nominations are a children’s book titled “Butterfly Dust,” the humorous book “Rapscallion Summer,” and the action/adventure story “Brothers Lost.” Michaelson’s book “Butterfly Dust” has also been named and listed on the Summer Recommended Reading List....
Inattention proved to be the cause of a rollover accident 20 miles west of Ritzville that sent five to the hospital on July 31. Adams County Fire responded to the scene around 1:45 p.m. where it was reported two individuals were trapped in the vehicle and one with a serious head injury, causing MedStar to be launched. The vehicle, driven by Federal Way resident Ornaldo Zalpa, 56, was traveling westbound on Interstate 90 when it drifted off the road and into the median. Zalpa overcorrected, sending the 2007 Ford Focus off the...
The city council voted unanimously to purchase two mowers for Ritzville Municipal golf course. Both are used, but in far better shape than the mowers currently being used at the local course. Presenting a brief course update to the council, manager Dan Duff reported that the fairway mower is on its last legs. Public Works Director Larry Swift agreed with the assessment, stating that inadequate maintenance on the mower in previous years contributed to the machine’s demise. Duff reported that he found a much better mower, a l...
The Lind and Ritzville communities were well represented when two poised young ladies took the stage at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman Aug. 3 during the state Distinguished Young Women (DYW) program. At the conclusion of the Saturday night program, Dalyn Killian, Distinguished Young Woman of Ritzville, earned the second runner-up title and Maya Wahl, Distinguished Young Woman of Lind, walked away with two awards. Killian is the daughter of Lisa and Gordon Killian, and Wahl’s parents are James and Rena Wahl. As the second r...
The drilling of a new municipal water well is moving ahead slowly as the drilling company battles solid rock. The well drilling company, Schneider Construction, is progressing about one to two feet per hour. On Friday, Aug. 2, they had reached 1,091 feet. As of Tuesday, they were at 1,118 feet according to a construction status report given to city council members by the engineering firm of Varela & Associates, Inc. The well will be drilled to a depth of 1,500 feet. Originally the contractor estimated it would reach 1,500...
The preliminary ballot count on Aug. 6 accounted for 1,704 total votes cast in Adams County, totaling 38.27 percent of voters returning ballots. The General Obligation Bond placed on the ballot by East Adams Rural Hospital District No. 2 to construct a new hospital is currently failing. With a total of 1,201 votes tabulated, 53.12 percent of votes were in opposition to the $10 million bond. The hospital district has already held a special meeting, electing to resubmit the bond to appear on the general election ballots in Nove...
The Ritzville Art Gallery has changed its hours of operation. For August and September, the Gallery will only be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m. The community art gallery is looking for more local artists to participate in the cooperative effort. The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce covers the rent and utilities for the building that houses the gallery. Artists volunteer to staff the gallery. The chamber collects a 30 percent commission on the sale of art in the gallery to offset expenses. Anyone interested...
A semi truck from Stahl Hutterian Brethren Farms unloads hard red winter wheat at the Schrag Elevator’s ground storage. The elevator is owned and operated by Gavilon Grain, LLC’s Union Elevator based in Lind. Rain last Thursday and Friday shut down harvest in the area for most farms. Crews were back in the fields in some areas on Monday and in most locations by Tuesday. At this stage, Jon Sperl, manager of Union Elevator, said this year’s harvest volume appears to be avera...
Renovations are nearing completion at Jimmie Snider Field with the installation of an all-weather track to the replace the previous cinder track. Construction began in mid-June and is expected to complete the first week of September, prior to the annual football jamboree. During the last week, the first grade of gravel was installed on the project. After the completion of the grading, the asphalt will be laid, and will be allowed time to cure. The curbing of the project surrounding the track has been completed, and...
Cheryl Henjum has announced her resignation as principal for the Ritzville School District, effective Aug. 1, after accepting an administration position with the Deer Park School District. Henjum served as the principal for the two Ritzville schools for the past two years. Henjum notified superintendent of Lind and Ritzville schools, Rob Roettger, of her decision on July 29. The vacant position has been posted to receive applications, Roettger explained, with the deadline for applicants set for Aug. 13. Roettger said the...
With the first year of the academic cooperative between the Lind and Ritzville School Districts complete, administrators and teachers are gearing up to make the second year even more successful. The Lind and Ritzville districts begin school on Sept. 3 and along with the later start date, residents can expect to see a variety of changes in the 2013-14 school year. Superintendent Rob Roettger said the first year of the cooperative went smoothly, and faculty is currently working towards strengthening and continuing the success...
The Eastern Washington University’s Dean’s List for the spring term has been announced and lists 13 local students. Earning Dean’s List honors are LaCrosse High School graduates Dallas Filan, Anne Fleming and Cherish Summers. Lind students who have received Dean’s List honors are Emelia Bouwman, Kayla Gardner, Bryson O’Neill and Kaytlin Phillips. Ritzville High School graduates earning Dean’s List honors are Shay Aurand, Geoffrey Eastman, Courtney Flynn, Shane Olson and Brittany Ste. Marie. Jena Goude is the only Washtucna H...
The following Washington State University students have earned undergraduate degrees for the spring 2013 semester. LaCrosse graduate, Justin Michael Aune, received a Bachelor of Science in agricultural and food systems. Lind graduate, Ty Alan Strohmaier earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. Ritzville graduates, Elena Jeanne Hennings, received a Bachelor of Landscape, Magna cum laude; and Jarrod Edward Larse, earned a Bachelor of Arts in humanities....
Local youngsters who participated in the annual Vacation Bible School gathered together for a group photo on the last day of the four-day event. The theme for this year, “Blast Off,” allowed the students an opportunity to watch skits from a visiting youth group and participate in hands-on activities each day. The Vacation Bible School was hosted at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, and the largest turn out during the week was an estimated 80 students. -Journal photo by Katelin Dav...
Lind-Ritzville High School graduate, Haley Campbell has been awarded a Presidential Scholarship for $3,000 for the 2013-14 academic year at Eastern Washington University. To qualify, students must have had a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher out of high school; or score 1250 or higher on their SAT; and over 28 on the ACT. She is the daughter of Kevin Arlt and Josie Campbell of Sprague. She will pursue a degree in education when she starts at EWU this fall....
Season tickets are on sale for the LRS athletic season, set to begin in September. Season tickets for adults are $70, and $42 for seniors. Tickets for students in K-8 are $35, and family passes are $165....
Madisyn Cameron displays perfect form as she glides to the end of the slide during the Ritzville Public Library’s Summer Reading Program party on July 25. The annual party provides summer reading participants with an afternoon of fun water games and ice cream, in order to reward them for their success in the program....
Cloyd Joe Blake died at the age of 79 on July 31 in Ritzville. He was born May 9, 1934, in Orofino, Idaho. He attended and graduated from Walla Walla High School in 1952. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958-1962 and earned the rank of Corporal E-3. He married Helen L. Perrine in September 1961 and together they had four children. He was a member of the Ralston Grange and enjoyed his hobbies of crocheting, gardening and flowers. He is survived by daughters, Joanne...
I learned two important lessons from reading The Ritzville Adams County Journal on August 1. The first lesson had to do with truth and integrity. The Sports Columnist was unhappy because a well-known professional baseball player had apparently been untruthful regarding his use of performance enhancing drugs. He wrote, “I want honesty and I want integrity…” I was spot on in agreement with him, and I so told my wife. I read to her a part of the column; she said the baseball player has integrity. The baseball player is loyal...
A rainstorm passed through Adams County late Thursday night, lasting into Friday and continuing to bring sporadic showers into Saturday. The rain showers, typically consistent with a July storm, are unusual to hit in the month of August. The moisture postponed wheat harvest throughout the county, with recorded rainfall totals varying throughout the area. According to the weather report provided by Greg Galbreath, the Ritzville area recorded a total of .88 inches during the two-day storm, with trace amounts being recorded...
I for one am happy that football at the pro and college levels are getting back to work. I know that most coaching staffs feel the same way. The off-season can weigh heavy on the minds of young men and their youthful minds can be difficult to control. Since last season ended, a lot of pro players were arrested for a wide range of offenses, including murder. I’m not sure how anyone can think that taking another’s life is ever a good thing to accomplish. Unfortunately, some beli...