Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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OLYMPIA – Representative Mark Schoesler of the Ninth District called the recently-released proposed state budget the “latest tax-and-spend scheme” by Governor Jay Inslee. A member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee since joining the Senate in 2005, Schoesler said tax and spending issues have been among his highest priorities as a legislator. “By serving on Ways and Means, I can provide a voice for families and businesses in our district and our state to keep taxes and spe...
OLYMPIA – Ninth District Representative Mary Dye will lead the House Environment and Energy Committee for the state House Republicans when the 2021 legislative session begins January 11. Dye, a Republican from Pomeroy, has served as assistant ranking member on the committee in the past, and will now be the ranking Republican in the leadership position. Appointed to the House of Representatives in 2015, Dye graduated in 2018 from the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region F...
RITZVILLE – City council unanimously accepted a proposal for two parcels to be annexed in to the city, simultaneously adopting the comprehensive plan and assuming existing city indebtedness of the area to be adopted, at their regular meeting Dec. 15. The annexation, called the Grainland Acres annexation, is two lots within the Urban Growth Area next to Big Bend Electric and across from Love’s Travel Stop. The property, owned by Derek and Susan Schafer, is adjacent to Highway 261 to the west and Weber Road to the north. The...
OTHELLO - Othello Community Hospital received their first doses of the Moderna vaccine last week and started providing vaccines to people in the designated 1A group on Dec. 24 and 25. The 1A group consists of high-risk workers in health care settings; high risk first responders; and residents and staff of nursing homes, assisted living facilities or other community-based congregate living settings where most individuals over 65 years of age are receiving care, supervision or assistance. Adams County Health Department...
RITZVILLE – The Eagles Auxiliary members made Christmas this year warmer and more joyful for residents of Rose Garden Estates and East Adams Rural Hospital’s long term care division. Auxiliary secretary Sharon Ooestrich said with generous donations from several members as well as non-members, the auxiliary was able to sponsor three families this year with Christmas gifts. Monday, Dec. 14, the auxiliary sisters delivered cozy blankets to residents of Rose Garden Estates, del...
RALSTON – A virtual ribbon cutting ceremony took place Dec. 15 to mark the completion of the 160 MW Rattlesnake Flat Wind Farm. Construction of the 57 wind turbines connected to Avista Utilities’ transmission grid as part of a 20-year purchase power agreement between Clearway Energy Group and Avista began in April. Adams County Commissioner John Marshall, Adams County Development Council Chairman David Baumann and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy CEO were joined at the virtual ribbon-cutting by Gov. Jay Inslee and Public Lan...
WASHTUCNA – Four teachers and Principal Michael Amend endured taking pies to the face by students, after generous donations for the food bank reached over 1,100 pounds. Goals were tracked by the 100-pound mark, with incremental rewards of popsicles all around at 100 pounds, followed by ice cream bars at 200 pounds, and ice cream sundaes at 300 pounds. The big motivator, perhaps, was the principal’s promise to take a pie in the face at 600 pounds. When the students met tha...
RITZVILLE – Santa came to town for a drive-by visit with community members from as far away as Lind Saturday, Dec. 19. The big man was flown in by helicopter courtesy of Life Flight, landing on the Ritzville Grade School grounds at 2 p.m. Flying Santa in on the 20-minute flight from Moses Lake was pilot Gary Schales, accompanied by paramedic Amanda Brown and nurse Brandon Bowolick. “When the flight was coming in, the kids were so excited you could hear them shouting over the...
RALSTON – Grange members hosted Santa for a drive-through gift-giving and wish-making event Saturday, Dec. 12. Ralston Grange President Jerry Snyder said the event has been taking place since 1932. “We were going to miss this year, with the restrictions in place, and we hadn’t missed a single year,” Snyder said. “You sit down and you brain storm, and we came up with the drive-through idea.” Volunteers decorated the parking lot with a lighted drive-through, with stops at tw...
RITZVILLE – A dozen kids got to shop with a cop Saturday, Dec. 12. The program, organized by Police Chief Dave McCormick, has been going on for a couple decades, and while concessions had to be made this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event provided a great deal of joy, based on the smiles all around. Etenia Slater-Burns, Sequoia Slater-Burns, Chaska Slater -Burns, Jaxon Duchesneau, Michealah Sherman, Samantha Cody, Erickah Cody, Lana Adamson, Aiden Instasi, Dante R...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Health Officer Dr. Alex Brzezny reported to county commissioners Dec. 9 that he expected to see COVID-19 vaccines arriving in the county in the next couple of weeks. He said the FDA is currently reviewing two different vaccines, including one made by Pfizer which requires ultra-low temperatures for transportation. “As soon as that approval takes place, the vaccine will be released,” Brzezny said. “I know that within another couple of days, a vaccine which does not require these ultra low tempera...
RITZVILLE – This year’s inaugural Santa Parade, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce Dec. 12, had lots of colorful entries. Participants dressed up in a wide variety of Santa outfits, joined by Ritzville police, Adams County Sheriff’s deputies, Ritzville Volunteer Fire Fighters, East Adams Rural Healthcare staff, Mayor Gary Cook and other community members. The parade of cars headed out from City Hall at 1 p.m. and wound their way down Main and Broadway, with volunteer fire...
RITZVILLE - School administrators and leaders across the region sent a letter to Governor Jay Inslee, the Department of Health and Washington State Legislators Dec. 10, calling for an immediate return of sports and extracurricular activities to area school districts. The letter was initiated by Reardan Superintendent Eric Sobotta and Davenport Superintendent Jim Kowalbowski, and signed by 71 school administrators and athletic directors. "We have a moral obligation to take...
RITZVILLE – Mayor Gary Cook welcomed the community to this year’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, in front of the library Friday, Dec. 4. The event was done “virtually” this year, with the tree lit at 5:30 p.m., and the event broadcast live on the Ritzville Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. Mayor Cook thanked the city’s Public Works Department for putting the tree up and putting on the ornaments, many of which were made and donated by community members. Mary Chamberlain spoke for...
It’s been 278 days since Gov. Jay Inslee first issued executive orders shutting down businesses, ending government transparency and calling some people “non-essential.” His mantra at the time, “flatten that curve” on the growing coronavirus outbreak. The governor and his hand-picked advisers told us the shutdowns were temporary, that the so-called emergency was temporary. More than six month later, temporary seems to have a different definition. Businesses are closing daily, residents across the state are protestin...
RITZVILLE – Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Polanco presented a revised proposed 2021 budget to East Adams Rural Healthcare board members in a public hearing Dec. 2, stating the proposed budget had been revised to provide a balanced budget in challenging circumstances. “The pandemic brought about an abrupt change to operations with a decline in patient services, as well as challenges in employee and patient education and safety around COVID-19,” Polanco said. “Given the current status, we anticipate the uncertainty around...
RITZVILLE – Santa Claus is coming to town – in a big way. Saturday, Dec. 19, Life Flight will escort St. Nicholas to Ritzville Grade School in – you guessed it – a helicopter. The public is invited to drive up to greet the big man with a wave from their vehicle in Candy Cane Lane – otherwise known as the bus lane, from 2 to 3 p.m. “School staff and volunteers will decorate Candy Cane Lane, culminating with a visual with Santa and a helper there, with some fun things along the way,” Lind Ritzville Superintendent Don Vanderhol...
RITZVILLE – Council members adopted a $9,808,180 budget for 2021 at their Dec. 1 meeting. Mayor Gary Cook said the 2020 budget year presented challenges with the governor’s shutdown beginning in March, leaving the city with an approximate six percent revenue reduction through September. Cook said expenses were cut by about three percent, leaving the city with a net loss of about three percent. “As of this budget planning cycle, we are not sure how the COVID-19 issue will end. We need to plan our 2021 budget with the same...
LIND – The water project funded by a Community Development Block Grant has been temporarily suspended, due to a delay in electrical parts for Well No. 8, Patrick Sheehy of Century West Engineering reported to council at their Nov. 24 meeting. “Due to COVID, electronic supplies are very tough to get, so the parts they need won’t be coming in until sometime in January,” Sheehy said, thanking everyone for their patience and perseverance in the project. “I know it was a big hassle, and a lot of folks were out of water for awhile....
RITZVILLE – Neil Verberne is excited about his work as the new Therapy Manager at East Adams Rural Hospital, where he supervises the physical therapy and occupational therapy departments. Verberne started at EARH in September. He said he was hired to focus on building up the in-patient program. “That’s something that, historically, the therapy department had a hard time with. They weren’t really invested in the in-patient program,” Verberne said. “They were very invested in th...
RITZVILLE – Three people were involved in a two-vehicle collision Nov. 25, on the icy surface of westbound I-90 eight miles east of Rtizville. Dyllin Hoisington and Jayden Whittenberg, both 18, were traveling from their home in Newport when the collision happened, shortly before 6:30 a.m. “We drove over some black ice and I’m pretty sure we were trying to get into the other lane,” said Whittenberg. The car they were driving lay on it’s roof on the shoulder of the right han...
RITZVILLE – Principal Cindy Deska recognized Ritzville Grade School employee Jennifer Skaggs at the Nov. 25 school board meeting for going “above and beyond.” Skaggs, the school district’s Food Service Manager, was given a certificate that noted her dedication to students. “Jennifer has done a great job scheduling breakfasts and lunches, both in person and remote to our families. She has gone above and beyond to make sure all of our students are served, and provided grab and...
RITZVILLE – City council members signed a contract with Land Use Attorney Mike Connelly to update development codes at their Nov. 17 meeting. Clerk-treasurer Julie Flyckt said the city has been working with Connelly for the past year on land use issues. “We receive land use applications, and we keep running into specific issues we want to get further defined in our development code,” Flyckt said. Connelly said he went through the city’s development code and identified areas where a lack of definition has made it difficult for...
RITZVILLE – Principals reported on student progress at the Nov. 25 board meeting. Parent-teacher conferences were held online, with most of the schools reporting excellent turnout. Ritzville Grade School Principal Cindy Deska reported 97.6% turnout, with teachers sending home packets ahead of time so parents could be prepared with questions. Sarah Dinkins, Dean of Students at Lind Elementary, reported teachers called parents when the school lost internet, with a 100% success rate. She said parents reported being excited to m...
RITZVILLE – Small business owners and residents are again affected by COVID-19 restrictions put in place by Governor Jay Inslee Sunday, Nov. 15. Pastime Bar and Grill owner Dave Benedict said the last shut down cost himself and fellow owner Amy Guilles $10,000 when the beer in the kegs could no longer be sold. This time, with just two days notice from the governor’s office, Benedict and Guilles got creative, posting on social media an invitation for the community to come in an...