Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Ecology issued a drought emergency for nearly all of the state July 14. Seattle, Tacoma and Everett are excluded from the drought declaration, as they have stored water, according to the DOE. A drought emergency declaration means water supply is projected to be below 75% of average, and there is a risk of undue hardship to water users and uses. With a formal drought declaration in place, DOE is authorized to take certain measures for the purpose of providing emergency drought relief,...
Hunter Dinkins, a junior at Lind-Ritzville High School and Bronco on the golf team, practices his game on the municipal golf course last week....
RITZVILLE - The Lind-Ritzville-Sprague softball team honored players with awards at their annual banquet last month. Named Captains for the team are Kelsey Billigmeier and Sadie Miller. Grace Fedie was awarded Most Improved. Nyleana Bailey was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Miller took the award for Offensive Player of the Year. The Bronco Award went to Billigmeier. Both Miller and Bailey were selected as All League - South Division this year. The team is coached by...
LIND – Volunteer firefighters quickly responded to a vehicle that caught fire in the southbound lanes of Highway 395, about four miles north of Lind Thursday afternoon, July 1. The vehicle fire had begun to spread to sagebrush and cheatgrass on the side of the highway, just days after a fire torched 2200 acres in the same area. "It was burning in sage brush about two and a half feet tall, and the flames were about 10 feet tall," Fire Protection District No. 1 Chief Scott Kembe...
RITZVILLE - The Lind-Ritzville-Sprague Broncos baseball team was honored at a banquet last week, with individual athletes named for awards. Owen Telecky, a junior, won the CY (young) award for the Best Pitcher. Senior Jay Harder won Silver Slugger for Best Hitter. Sophomore Cooper Miller won Most Improved. Chase Galbreath, also a sophomore, won the Coaches Award. The Broncos baseball team is coached by Jason Hilzer, assisted by Dustan Arlt....
RITZVILLE – A banquet honoring the Lind-Ritzville-Sprague Broncos football team held last week named individual players for awards. Captains Awards went to seniors Carson Ayers, Doug Morris and Jay Harder. Blake Esser, a sophomore, was named Most Improved. The Most Inspirational award was given to Doug Morris. Cooper Miller, a sophomore, was named Special Teams Player of the Year. The Spirit of a Bronco award was given to Jay Harder. The Broncos are coached by Greg W...
RITZVILLE - Northeast 2B league basketball teams named their All-League players, with three Bronco girls and two Bronco boys receiving this distinguished honor. For the NE 2B Girls All League Basketball, Bronco Dakota Killian, a junior, was named to the 1st Team. Senior Janaye Wilkie was named to the 2nd Team; and Julia Klein, a senior, was named to the 3rd Team. The girls are coached by Steve Wellsandt, assisted by Shannon Court. For the NE 2B Boys All League Basketball, Bron...
RITZVILLE – Lind-Ritzville School District's Athletic Director, Greg Whitmore, was named the Washington State Athletic Director of the Year by the Washington State Secondary Athletic Administrator's Association (WSSAAA). The honor was bestowed upon Whitmore at the State Athletic Director Conference in Kennewick Friday, June 25. "This is a pretty big deal, to get this award," Lind-Ritzville High School Principal Kevin Terris, who accompanied Whitmore to the state conference, s...
RITZVILLE – Katie Sloan is the new Adams County Clerk, sworn in to her position Wednesday, June 30. She was to begin taking over responsibilities in her new role the following day. Formerly employed as the Superior Court Administrator, Sloan said she would be performing duties in both offices until the vacancy is filled. The Superior Court Administrator is responsible for maintaining the Judge's calendar, scheduling bench and jury trials, and responding to incoming c...
OTHELLO – The city was awarded $1,350,000 in grants from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which will be used to improve Lions Park. The city plans to use the funding to replace 1950's playground equipment and playground surfacing with a new Pride Rock Playground. Both the equipment and surface will make the area accessible to people with disabilities. Landscaping and furnishings will also be added to offer shade and comfort during Othello's hot summers. The city will also be using part of the f...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Fire Protection District No. 1 Board of County Commissioners enacted Fire Danger Burn Restrictions during a special meeting Thursday, June 29. Resolution 2021-1 restricts unauthorized open burning, unauthorized recreational fires and the burning of all combustible materials which may include, but are not limited to, outdoor burning of yard vegetation or waste, non-emergent agriculture burning, exploding gun targets, bullet tracer rounds, fire pits, any open flame; and fireworks. The restrictions a...
RITZVILLE – Governor Jay Inslee is refusing requests to declare a drought emergency in Washington state. "As the extremely hot temperatures have reminded us, much of eastern Washington, including our wheat-growing regions, is in the middle of a drought. This is a huge concern for me and other wheat growers in the area," Senator Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) said July 1, adding two wheat industry officials sent a letter to Inslee June 15 asking him to declare a drought emergency which would provide affected farmers with a...
RITZVILLE – Law enforcement officers arrested a man for theft and criminal trespassing after a residential video showing a man taking a bicycle from a home was forwarded to the police department. Brian Massy of Ritzville, age 33, was arrested and booked into Adams County Jail on charges of Criminal Trespassing in the 2nd degree and Theft in the 3rd degree early Friday morning, July 2. Chief Dave McCormick said video from a residence in the 200 block of East 10th Avenue showing the subject taking a black and silver Schwinn bic...
LIND - Volunteer firefighters quickly responded to a vehicle that caught fire in the southbound lanes of Highway 395 at milepost 86, about four miles north of Lind Thursday afternoon, July 1. The vehicle fire had begun to spread to grass on the side of the highway, just days after a fire torched 2200 acres in the same area. A Washington State Patrol spokesman said the vehicle spontaneously ignited, and no one was injured in the fire. Spokane Regional Transportation Management...
RITZVILLE — Adams County Fire Protection District No. 1 Board of County Commissioners enacted Fire Danger Burn Restrictions during a special meeting Tuesday, June 29. Resolution 2021-1 restricts unauthorized open burning, unauthorized recreational fires and the burning of all combustible materials which may include, but are not limited to, outdoor burning of yard vegetation or waste, non-emergent agriculture burning, exploding gun targets, bullet tracer rounds, fire pits, any open flame; and fireworks. The restrictions are i...
RITZVILLE - Cooling centers for those in need of a place to spend the hottest hours of the day have been set up in Lind and Ritzville by the Adams County Health Department. Zion Philadelphia United Church of Christ is open for those needing to escape the heat from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the Lind Grade School Gym is open as a cooling center from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The cooling centers opened Tuesday, June 29. Pastor Janel Rieve said she received an email from Karen Potts, RN, with...
LIBERTY – Two Broncos competed in the NE 2B League wrestling championships, with Brandon Davis taking first place at 126 pounds, and Gabe Smith finishing third at 220 pounds Friday, June 18. Davis was in his sophomore year and Smith was a freshman. "This is Gabe's first year wrestling," Head Coach Jason Hilzer said. "He turned out last year halfway through the year, so he only got four matches. So between the two years, he got one full season. He didn't wrestle as a little g...
DAVENPORT – The Lind-Ritzville-Sprague Broncos ended their boys basketball season with a 59-45 loss to Davenport during a play-offs game Monday, June 14. "We got off to a good start and led 11-4, but we really struggled on both ends of the court after that, and Davenport started pulling away late in the third quarter," said Head Coach Dustan Arlt. "It was probably the most we struggled all year in a game, and the first one we weren't right in it at the end." The Broncos f...
RITZVILLE - Residents of Rose Garden Estates were treated to root beer floats and country music under blue skies Wednesday, June 16. Charlie Root of Moses Lake brought his guitar, banjo and a large repertoire of old time country hits - some dating back to the 1800s, such as Stephen Foster's "Oh Susanna." "They know a lot of the songs I sing," Root said. This was Root's first visit back to the Rose Garden since February 2020, a regular entertainer for the residents prior to...
LIND - U.S. Highway 395 was partially closed twice in two days following truck crashes that coated the roadway with oil and asphalt. The first crash occurred Thursday, June 18, near southbound Milepost 75, and the second Friday, June 19, near northbound Milepost 78, according to the Washington State Patrol. Thursday's 1:15 p.m. incident involved a northbound tanker truck carrying hydraulic oil, the patrol reported. The vehicle entered the median and overturned, spilling the th...
LACROSSE - The four graduates making up LaCrosse High School's Class of 2021 earned $95,056 in scholarships. The students earned the following awards and scholarships: Zoe Bailey, Valedictorian: LaCrosse High School Female Athlete of the Year, Torgeson Memorial Award, Washington State Honors Award, LaCrosse Community Club Scholarship, Kelli Scharpenberg Memorial Scholarship, LaCrosse Masonic Scholarship, Urgel and Virginia Bell Memorial Scholarship, LaCrosse Scholarship...
RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville-Sprague Broncos took second place in the NE 2B League Basketball Championship when they fell to the Liberty Lancers 46-77, at home Saturday, June 19. "We just couldn't shut them down," Head Coach Steve Wellsandt said of the Lancers. "They shot 58% from the 3-point line. We were just under 40% for 3-pointers, but on 2-point field goals we were just under 30%. So it was not a good shooting night inside the paint." Dakota Killian led in scoring f...
RITZVILLE - The Ritzville Water Park opened at noon Wednesday, June 16. Donna Kessler, in her fifth season as pool manager, said 160 people attended opening day. The crowd increased to 220 Thursday, with temperatures climbing almost 10 degrees higher than opening day. "Today we're getting even more people," Kessler said Friday afternoon. "Every day it increased." Kessler said the capacity is 130 people at a time, with the Water Park currently operating at 50% capacity due to...
RITZVILLE – Both the 7th and 8th grade Lind-Ritzville-Sprague boys basketball teams went undefeated this season. The teams, comprised of one 7th grader on the varsity team and a few 8th graders on the junior varsity team, are coached by Dale Anderson and Alan Field. “Both teams went undefeated, which was really cool,” said Anderson, who coaches the varsity team. “It's a pretty athletic team. Defensively is what I was really pleased with. The most points scored against us in one game was 27. We kept them under 30 points....
RITZVILLE – Adams County is liable to the Washington State Department of Revenue for $683,076 after a renewable energy contractor in Adams County applied for and was awarded a refund of state and local sales taxes paid. According to Washington State RCW 82.08.962, 50 percent of state and local sales taxes paid on sales of machinery and equipment used in generating electricity using wind, sun and other renewable sources can be remitted to purchasers who paid the sales taxes. The exempt purchases can apply for machinery and e...