Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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MALDEN – While the Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought here last Thursday continue to sit in the bin he presented the mayor with, others he delivered to Bridgeport and Omak contain maggot larvae. Those apples were dispersed and Douglas County officials are now trying to locate them. This morning, Wednesday, Sept. 16, Chelan-Douglas Horticulture Pest and Disease Board Director Will Carpenter called on anyone with information about the contaminated apples to call or e...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—The two families that lost homes in the Bartholomew and Christensen fires Aug. 27 and Sept. 7, respectively will soon be getting some assistance from the community. Wolffy’s Burgers is hosting a spaghetti feed Saturday, Sept. 19, with 100% of proceeds benefitting those fire victims. “When the fires hit here in town … we had thrown around the idea of doing something for the community,” owner Jessica Davis said. “We ran with the idea and put it into play.” Orig...
CHENEY – While education is their preferred first choice of enforcement, Cheney and Eastern Washington University law enforcement are prepared to take sterner measures with students who continue to violation safety protocols spelled out by the state and/or Spokane County Health District to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a joint statement today, police officials with both agencies said – while not anticipating arrests, issuing citations or taking individual to jail – officers “will intervene with more punitive actions...
SPRAGUE - The annual Sprague Days events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, but community members and visitors carried on with events throughout the day, including a contest hosted by Spokane Disk Dogs in town. A Cruise the Lake Car and Bike Show at Four Seasons Resort featured music by Spokane DJ Scott Baker, a jumpy house for kids and several vendors. The Sprague Chamber of Commerce held their annual raffle in the late afternoon, which brought in $2,054. "It was a...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS—The two families that lost homes in the Bartholomew and Christensen fires Aug. 27 and Sept. 7, respectively will soon be getting some assistance from the community. Wolffy’s Burgers is hosting a spaghetti feed Saturday, Sept. 19, with 100% of proceeds benefitting those fire victims. “When the fires hit here in town … we had thrown around the idea of doing something for the community,” owner Jessica Davis said. “We ran with the idea and put it into play.” Orig...
ADAMS COUNTY - The county health department issued the following public health advisory Sept. 14: Air quality in Adams County, and throughout much of Central and Eastern Washington, is currently highly impacted by widespread smoke from wildfires. Monitors are showing Very Unhealthy to Hazardous air quality for most of the state. The smoke is not expected to clear in the near future. Wildfire smoke is a mixture of gases and fine particles released when things burn. In addition...
BASIN CITY - A wildfire raced along the edge of the city Monday, Sept. 7, destroying at least two homes. The homes were located along North Canal Boulevard and Loen Drive, but winds driving flames nearby fields of dry grass and sagebrush also spread the fire to the structures and vehicles parked nearby. According to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, nobody was injured. Meanwhile further east in the county, flames from another fire rapidly moved through dry fuels near...
COLTON—Whitman County Sheriff’s Office has reported a Colton man died Sept. 6 following a combine accident west of Colton and Uniontown. At 3:50 p.m., Whitman County Deputies and District 14 Fire and EMS were advised of an unconscious person who was involved in a combine accident on Bauer Road near Wolf Road, according to a media release from Undersheriff Chris Chapman. Once deputies arrived on scene it was determined the individual had succumbed to his wounds. The investigation revealed the deceased, Brian Lee Smith, 55,...
RITZVILLE - A duststorm that began just before noon caused multiple crashes, prompting area road closures through early evening hours Monday, Sept. 7. Washington State Patrol Sgt. Ethan Wynecoop said the multiple car crashes, which were all dust-related, resulted in no serious injuries. "It was absolutely a mess. You couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of you," Wynecoop said. "Almost every state route through our patrol area here had crashes of one sort or another."...
RITZVILLE – Local police officer Matt Carlson put himself in the right place - just in time - when a call for back-up was put out by the Washington State Patrol late Saturday night, Aug. 22. Trooper Cody Pierce was on a traffic stop on westbound 1-90 about three miles east of Ritzville, when an armed, 19-year-old driver allegedly become violent; resulting in a multi-agency response. "Officer Matt Carlson responded to the scene and provided vital assistance to Trooper P...
Voices across the state continue to ask the Governor to call a special session to allow lawmakers to balance the budget and address COVID-19 related policies. A special session would provide the legislative branch of government its first opportunity in more than five months to address problems caused by the pandemic. Sen. Hans Zeiger this week also sent his colleagues a letter calling on them to support a special session. From Sen. Zeiger’s letter (in-part): “I write five and...
Most schools in Washington state will remain closed this fall. Some school districts are tightening their belts in anticipation of the COVID-19 budget cuts that are coming. But last week Gov. Jay Inslee bypassed the Legislature and the decisions of local school districts to protect the jobs of unionized school bus drivers. He’s made sure money will keep flowing for school buses that are not carrying school children. His next step may be to keep the money flowing to school b...
MILL CREEK — A former Ritzville man who broke his neck as a teenager here went on to become a physical therapist and opened his own clinic earlier this year. Jim Shepherd, a 1998 graduate of Ritzville High School, was just 15 years old when he fractured his neck in a car accident that left him hospitalized in Spokane. Shepherd said the close-call left him wondering about his purpose in life. During the months of rehabilitation, Shepherd said he was impressed by his physical t...
RITZVILLE – The Wheat Land Communities' Fair Online Livestock Auction concluded last Thursday and results will be made available in next week's edition of the Journal. Support can be pledged by mailing payment to WLCF Jr Livestock 1408 N Longmeier Rd Ritzville, WA 99169 or call 509-650-7018 or email [email protected] with questions....
RITZVILLE – Joe Lodge, Senior Manager with DZA Independent Auditing Firm, presented results from the annual audit at the East Adams County Hospital District No. 2 Board of Commissioners meeting August 26. Lodge said the audit was done by senior accountant Daniel Duchow, working with former CFO/CEO Gary Bostrom, Interim CEO Carl Flannagan and new CFO Kim Polanco. Lodge reported East Adams Rural Healthcare (EARH) had a fairly large net loss of 20%, attributable mainly to untimely accounts written off during the year, not a nota...
MALDEN - Wildfire raced through several nearby communities, destroying homes, businesses, outbuildings and even a City Hall. Franklin County officials reported one fire had destroyed homes along Kahlotus Pasco Road and near Basin City. In Sprague, a fire broke out in sage and dry grass on the north side of town. Residents broke out fire houses and doused the grass close to residential areas as the fire reportedly consumed a barn and a vacant home. Lucas Becker and several...
MALDEN - Here's a video of Gov. Jay Inslee's press conference with media only Thursday, Sept. 10. A video of his speech to Malden residents will be posted separately....
SPOKANE -- Officials at the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency are warning residents in the region that, depending on the winds and fire activity, air quality over the next several days is expected to worse. According to a Sept. 10 news release, air quality today (Sept. 11) could possibly reach the Orange Range (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) or worse of the Air Quality Index (AQI). Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12-13, the air quality could decline even further to the Purple...
MALDEN - Don't call them wildfires. Call them "climate fires." That was the message Gov. Jay Inslee gave reporters during a brief appearance about noon today, Thursday, Sept. 10, in one of two cities nearly wiped out by the Babbs Fire. That press conference followed a presentation he made to town residents and leaders only minutes before, a presentation in which he requested all media be excluded. Inslee arrived in a black SUV via Pine City-Malden Road, passing numerous "Culp...
MALDEN — High winds and dry weather conditions propelled a wall of flames southwest across rural Spokane and Whitman counties Monday, leveling homes, businesses and government offices. Approximately 75 percent of structures in Malden burned to the ground, including City Hall, the post office, a gas station and a historic church. Burned out cars were visible throughout town adjacent to what was left of homes and garages. Local ranchers and residents manned hoses and buckets of...