Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
It's been a fixture of Ritzville for as long as many people can remember, and now the Giving Tree enters its fourth decade of service as a way for the community to help aid less fortunate families during the holiday season. The Giving Tree was founded back in December 1989, when George H.W. Bush was in the first year of his presidency, the Soviet Union still existed, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire," Taylor Swift had just...
The Ritzville Journal will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 25, in observance of the Christmas holiday. Therefore, we will be laying out the Dec. 26 issue on Monday, Dec. 23. Deadlines for submission for the Dec. 26 issue have changed. Legals must be submitted to the office by noon Friday, Dec. 20. Classifieds must be submitted by 11 a.m., Dec. 20. All submitted editorial content — including community calendar items, public service announcements, letters to the editor and obituaries — must be submitted by 12 p.m. on Monday, Dec...
As we look forward to the holidays and the inevitable tick into 2020, I can’t help but look back at our local history and how it’s been preserved and reported by our newspapers and their reporters for six generations. The Ritzville Adams County Journal’s own lede is “Eastern Adams County’s Only Independent Voice since 1887” making it 133 years old and one of the oldest businesses (besides our farming families) in the county. The first paper to print in the county was the Adams County News in 1885 of which we have a few of th...
I was meaning to write this update last week but with the Christmas season upon us there can be changes in plans rather abruptly. But sometimes that can also be good for any number of reasons. For instance, last week I was going to talk about former Eagle and present day San Francisco 49er Kendrick Bourne and the game he had against the New Orleans Saints. He caught four passes two of which were for TDs against New Orleans in the Superdome. This was a huge win for the 49ers....
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague girls basketball coach Steve Wellsandt said before the season that he wanted to see his team face off against Liberty, the team he said was the team to beat in the conference. He got his wish Tuesday night but not the result he was looking for. The Lady Broncos fell to the Lancers 51-38 at home. Before that, the Lady Broncos defeated Upper Columbia Academy in the league opener at home on Dec. 19. The Lady Broncos are now 1-1 in conference play and 3-2...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos basketball team opened league play with a bang on Dec. 12, coasting to a 73-39 victory over the Upper Columbia Academy Lions at home. The Broncos, improving to 3-1 overall on the season, were led offensively by senior Austin Thompson, who scored a career-high 31 points in the victory. It appears to be the most points scored in a game by an LRS player in this decade. Thompson was 4-8 from beyond the arc in the game, and also converted several...
The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague wrestling season is just two competitions old, but head coach Jason Hilzer is liking what he’s seen out of his team so far. Not only was it the opening matches of the season for LRS, but it was also the first matches at the high school level for several of the wrestlers. “I thought there were times we wrestled really tough,” said Hilzer. “I thought the newer kids wrestled as well as they could have.” The season opened with the Ephrata JV Mix & Match on Dec. 10. Hilzer sent seven wrestlers to partic...
Dear Editor, The report of the December 3 Ritzville City Council in The Journal could have and should have read differently. The council member who first presented the case for hiring of a new police officer was not mentioned. That presentation was a major part of the council discussion. She made clear that police protection is a primary purpose of government, so if a new officer was justified as the council seem to agree, then that hiring should take priority over the expenditures for purposes not so dear. Given the...
Bridges shouldn’t have to sink to be replaced. However, at times that’s what it takes. Too often new projects succumb to years of fighting among interest groups and endless political bickering. In 2013, opposition killed Columbia Crossings project which was formed to construct a replacement I-5 bridge across the Columbia River connecting Vancouver and Portland. We all want more roads and bridges as long as they are in the other persons’ neighborhood and someone else pays....
Earlier this month, state Department of Fish and Wildlife Director officials said they needed an additional $26 million to effectively manage its existing lands and programs. They said that if they didn’t receive additional money from the Legislature this coming session, they will have to reduce staffing and services. Agency Director Kelley Susewind himself said it would be “pretty catastrophic” if his agency doesn’t get more money. Why then is the agency simultaneously pushin...
Ritzville #2739 presented $300 each to 2 families this Christmas season. The first family was Jessica and Jay Riggs and their children, Jasmine, Jaylen, Jicaela and Jeiydn. The second family chose not to be named. This is a yearly presentation that Ritzville Eagles proudly gives. We are “people helping people.” Ritzville #2739 added that they would like to wish the community a Merry Christmas....
On Dec. 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan-backed Farm Workforce Modernization Act on a 260-165 vote. The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), seeks to address immigration issues facing the farming community. The bill was introduced with the support of 26 Democrats and 23 Republicans and has been negotiated throughout much of the past year between legislators, agricultural stakeholders and labor organizations. The bill would establish a program for agricultural workers in the country, as we...
The upcoming regular session for the Washington Legislature doesn’t begin until Jan. 13, but that doesn’t mean work hasn’t already begun for state legislators. Many legislators are already in Olympia getting ready for next year’s session. Part of the preparation for the upcoming session includes the pre-filing of bills that may be considered during the upcoming 60-day session. The 2020 session will be the first session since 1998 where Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) has not held the Speaker’s gavel in the House, after he resigned...
The Caring Neighbors board donated $2,000 to the Ritzville Food Pantry, it announced in a press release on Dec. 11. The donated money to the Ritzville Food Pantry will be used to help purchase food for families in need. Donations of $440 each were also made to the Othello Food Bank, Connell Food Bank and Basin City Help Services. In addition to the Food Banks, Caring Neighbors also donated funds to other local 501(c)(3) organizations and municipals, including Friends of...
As part of the approval of the 2020 Ritzville City Budget, $220,000 has been set aside for the 110 Tourism Funds. To which organizations that money will go, however, is still up in the air after the Dec. 3 city council meeting. The $220,000 that the city agreed to award in tourism funds as part of the 2020 budget is a 10% increase from the previous projection of $200,000 that was discussed at the Nov. 19 city council meeting. The additional $20,000 is slated to be awarded to the Ritzville Golf Course clubhouse for a variety...
On Dec. 6, 12 honor students from Lind-Ritzville High School and 16 from Lind-Ritzville Middle School boarded a bus to Kennewick to make Christmas a little brighter for area communities, including Lind and Ritzville. Students took part in the 10th Annual 598 Bikes for Tikes, organized by the Tri-Cities' Local Union 598, a union of plumbers and steamfitters. The local students helped with build day, a day where hundreds of volunteers--mostly from the Tri-Cities area--meet at...
A partnership between Avista and a community-building expert has opened the doors for local governments in Adams County to have a better chance at receiving grants by residents completing a survey about the community they live in. Avista has partnered with Doug Griffiths, who is also a best-selling author. He penned “13 Ways to Kill Your Community,” which is the summary of eight years of experience Griffiths gained through intense involvement with small towns. Through their partnership, they have created a community nee...
The local holiday season continues on Saturday, as events will be held in downtown Ritzville in the evening. The Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Gingerbread House Contest, followed by hayrides, caroling and s’mores beginning around 5 p.m. Gingerbread House entries must be dropped off at Uniquely Washington from 4:30-5 p.m. to be judged....
Below are a list of Christmas services that have been provided to The Journal by area churches. For questions or more information, you can find a church’s contact information in our Church Services Directory on Page A-5. Ritzville Nazarene Church Dec. 22: Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., Sunday Morning Worship at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 24: Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 7 p.m. Emanuel Lutheran Church Dec. 22: Christmas musical program at 11 a.m., with a potluck to follow. Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7 p.m. St. A...
Last Saturday, 17 children and a bundle of emergency responders gathered on a chilly December morning at the H.E. Gritman Senior Center for the Shop With A Cop program, a holiday fixture in Ritzville. Shop With A Cop allows underprivileged children in the community, who may also have a troubled family life, to partner with law enforcement to shop for Christmas gifts at local businesses for themselves and their family members. The annual event is coordinated by Ritzville...