Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 672
RITZVILLE - A semi truck with a 20-foot container rolled over in a non injury collision as it was entering I-90 Westbound at Schoessler Road late Wednesday morning, Nov. 18. Adams County Fire District No. 1 Chief Scott Kembel said they got called at 10:22 a.m. and six firemen responded, with a rescue rig, a fire truck and a brush truck. "It took awhile to get him cleaned up and out of the ditch. That always takes awhile," Kembel said. An ambulance with East Adams Rural Health...
LIND – Maria Carmen Garcia is this month’s recipient of the Above and Beyond award from the Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School District. Garcia performs multiple jobs for the school district, working as the migrant records clerk, a general education paraprofessional working with kids in the classroom, Lind Elementary School’s verbal translator working with parents, and working as the translator for the entire school district. “She wears many hats,” Lind Elementary School Dean o...
RITZVILLE – Joanna McCrady, who shared the story of her cousin Adolph Gram’s invaluable service to General Dwight D. Eisenhower at the end of World War II, recalled details of civilian life during the war. She grew up on a farm near Sprague before moving to Ritzville in October of 1945. She said she got to visit her cousin Adolph, who grew up on a wheat farm in Ralston, but “during the war, you didn’t go visiting very much because of gas rationing.” She said people received...
RITZVILLE – Vietnam Veteran John Marshall said he has spent the past 50 years trying to forget about the war, but for one night he pushed the ghosts aside to receive recognition for his time in the service for not only himself, but his late brother Steve, and his brother Brian, who lives in Seven Bays. The three brothers served in three different branches of the military, but all three were crew chiefs in their respective units. Marshall traveled to Richland with his wife, J...
RITZVILLE – Joanne McCrady of Ritzville speaks with pride of her cousin Adolph Grams, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army who played a key role as a U.S. liaison and translator in the surrender of Germany in 1945. Grams, a native of Ralston, grew up on a wheat farm with five sisters and his parents. His father, Reinhold, and mother, Mary, were both Germans who emigrated to the United States, and kept their native language alive in the household. Grams attended school in Ralsto...
If we can provide it, maybe we should return to polling place voting Over the last few months, all eyes have been on Washington’s 16-year-old vote-by-mail system. National media has been holding it up as an example of what should become the norm nationwide. But should it? Yes, we have fastidious local election employees resolving problems. And yes, we have years of experience making vote-by-mail work. But the nation isn’t ready for all-mail elections, whether it’s our system or another state’s. Simply put, voting by mail ap...
RITZVILLE – Little "eagles" enjoyed treats, fun and $75 in cash prizes during a pumpkin-decorating contest at the Eagles Hall Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 28. Taking first place in the age group 1-3 was Lizzy Gerhardt, followed by Mateo Hernandez in second place. Among the age group 4-7, Zaiden Najera took first place, with Allie Greer coming in second. Mackenzie Hofstee came in first place for the 8-10 age group, followed by Abigal Hofstee in second. Auxiliary member Vonnie M...
RITZVILLE – East Adams Rural Healthcare’s Chief Financial Officer Kim Polanco reported a net loss of nearly $620,000 for the month of September, bringing the year-to-date net loss to nearly $122,000. “That big loss in September is a big, bad debt write-off, which we were anticipating,” Polanco reported to board members Oct. 21. “We’re having some of those big financial fixes that we’ve talked about, and some of them aren’t so pretty,” CEO Corey Fedie told the board earlier in the meeting. “But we’ve all talked about this for...
RITZVILLE – U.S. Navy veteran and truck driver Terry Janssen of Post Falls, Idaho, was un-injured when the semi he was driving southbound on Highway 395 rolled over, five miles south of Ritzville Wednesday, Oct. 28. Washington State Patrol responded to the incident that occurred around 3:30 p.m. at milepost 90.5. No other vehicles were involved, and travel lanes remained open. Janssen, driving for XL Transport, was hauling a load of Cedar chips from Ritzville to Wallula. "I r...
RITZVILLE – Adams County Economic Development Director Stephen McFadden worked his last day for Adams County Friday, Oct. 30, and was scheduled to report for training with the Port of Pasco Monday, Nov. 2. McFadden served as the county's first economic development director, in a position the county commissioners created six and a half years ago. County Commissioner John Marshall said when the county economic analyst, who reported to Public Works, left his job, Marshall w...
ADAMS COUNTY – Area electrical customers have been experiencing short but frequent power outages for the past couple of weeks. Towns affected include Ritzville, Washtucna, Lind, Sprague, Reardan and Davenport. Avista spokesman David Vowels said after examining the system and miles of power lines, Avista crews identified ice build-up and animal interference as apparent causes of the electric service interruptions. “Crews are working to resolve these issues and, in the meantime, have rerouted power to minimize further interrupt...
LIND – Residents found themselves without water for a few days, with neighbors coming to the rescue delivering water to those in need. Resident Denise Snead gave kudos to local farmers Donna Bidek and Roger Smart for delivering water through town, adding "this water project has been a nightmare." Janice Dennis said Smart was driving his water truck around town, giving water to families in need. "This is what being good neighbors is all about," Dennis said. Mayor Paula Bell f...
LIND – The town of Lind has been without water for at least the last 48 hours, and citizens are helping each other out by delivering water to those who need it. Resident Denise Snead gave kudos to local farmers Donna Bidek and Roger Smart for delivering water to residents, adding "this water project has been a nightmare." Janice Dennis said Smart and his daughter, Sophie, were driving his water truck around town, giving water to families in need. "This is what being good n...
RITZVILLE - Kids are taking advantage of the Chamber of Commerce's business Trick-or-Treat event throughout town Friday, Oct. 30 until 4:30 p.m. Don't let the wind scare you away! Watch the Ritzville Adams County Journal next week for photos of your favorite goblins, ghouls and princesses....
RITZVILLE - U.S. Navy Veteran Terry Janssen of Post Falls, Idaho, suffered no injuries when the semi he was driving southbound on Highway 395 rolled over, five miles south of Ritzville Wednesday, Oct. 28. Washington State Patrol responded to the accident that occurred around 3:30 p.m. at milepost 90.5. No other vehicles were involved, and travel lanes are open. Janssen, driving for XL Transport, was hauling a load of Cedar chips from Ritzville to Wallula. "I reached down on...
RITZVILLE – Long-time curator and custodian of the Northern Pacific Railway Depot Museum, L.R. Keith, will be resigning from his position after nearly 15 years of volunteer service. Keith tendered his resignation to the Ritzville Museum Board of Directors Tuesday, Oct. 20. His resignation is effective Nov. 1. Board President Randy Flyckt said he wished the Board could refuse to accept Keith's resignation, but "involuntary servitude" wasn't quite legal. "Speaking on behalf o...
RITZVILLE – Construction and roofing crew members with Authentic Restorations finished up repairs to the porch and roof of the Frank R. Burroughs Home Museum Friday, Oct. 16. Pictured measuring and cutting 60 mil Thermoplastic Polyolefin single-ply roofing membrane Thursday are Sean Hager, Mark Lang and Austin Nelson. "The roof's been leaking for years, so a lot of carpentry needed done," Lang said. "We restructured the rafters and made a couple of jacks to take out the b...
OLYMPIA – Senator Mark Schoesler hosted a teleconference meeting with members of the House and Senate caucuses to call for a special session to address urgent topics including unemployment and back to school issues Monday, Oct. 26. Joining Schoesler were fellow Republicans, 7th District Senator Shelly Short from Addy, 26th District Representative Michelle Caldier of Port Orchard, and 31st District Representative Drew Stokesbary. The elected officials agreed it was time to g...
Olympia is clearly out of touch with Eastern Washington, and you won’t have to look any further than your ballot to figure that out. In addition to the East versus West gubernatorial battle, you’ll find Referendum 90, pitting many rural parents against a few city-based lawmakers and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal over the measure. Referendum 90 targets Senate Bill 5395, a so-called “comprehensive” and “inclusive” sexual education curriculum being mandated by those in Olympia. For the last few ye...
RITZVILLE – The Food Pantry is holding a November food drive for Christmas baskets to be delivered in mid-December. Ashlee Oostra of Ritzville is challenging community members to grab one food item each day, for the first 24 days of November, to donate to the food bank. Oostra, who volunteers at the food bank, said she saw the idea listed as a "reverse Advent calendar" for December, and presented it to Food Pantry Director Carol Ewing. "She thought it was a good idea," O...
RITZVILLE - The Ritzville Lions Club will be barbecuing chicken halves Friday, Oct. 30, and have them ready for pick-up between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Wheatland Fair Grounds. It makes for an easy way to have dinner ready before heading out for Trick-or-Treating at area businesses from 2 to 4:30 p.m. the same day. The cost is $8 per half chicken, and pre-orders are greatly encouraged as this is often a sell-out event. Orders can be placed by calling Bruce Benzel at 509 660...
RITZVILLE – Drop boxes are now available in Ritzville and Othello for accepting documentation for the Adams County Assessor's office and tax payments for the Adams County Treasurers office. The drop box installed in front of the Public Services building will be open seasonally. The drop box installed at the rear entry of the courthouse will be open year round. "I'm super excited," Adams County Treasurer Kayla Meise said....
CONNELL – A multiple-vehicle collision involving three tractor-trailers sent several people to the hospital Wednesday evening, Oct. 21. Stephan W. Meuchel, 44, of Longview, was charged with second-degree negligent driving after his northbound 2018 semi left the roadway near Milepost 63, about 8 miles north of the city in rural Adams County, the Washington State Patrol said. The crash occurred about 7 p.m. Meuchel allegedly overcorrected and slid broadside before his truck c...
ADAMS COUNTY – An article titled “Adams County Current Results” posted online Thursday, Oct. 22 left some voters concerned. The article, posted on https://votewashington.info/voter/wa/ad, claimed a total of 2571 ballots had been counted out of 7445 registered voters, with 54 of those rejected. According to the website, 44 of the ballots were from Othello, four from Ritzville, four from Lind and two from Washtucna. Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt said the ballots were not rejected, but simply needed more information. Hunt emph...