Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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RITZVILLE - Expansion of high-speed internet throughout Adams County is continuing here and in Lind and Othello. When complete next year, the $10.6 million project will provide high-speed broadband to 2,500 homes and businesses. Officials said the project expands infrastructure that will benefit farm workers, students, businesses and other residents who have had limited access to internet. "This is a major investment for Adams County and a milestone for our communities,...
RITZVILLE — The City Council met Nov. 14 to look at its budget and what would be the most likely match for a new new development planner. “Balance is huge,” Councilwoman Brooke Scheel said. “You’re either going to get somebody who’s maybe younger and has some work experience, fresh out of college, that’s willing to commute, or hybrid and really great on the computer, or maybe a working parent, or somebody that’s been out of the field for a minute but has a lot of experience and wants to ease back into a professional li...
LIND — Mayor Paula Bell was excluded from an executive session that took place during the Nov. 12 Town Council meeting. Just over an hour into the meeting, the assembly broke for the executive session. The council voted 4-0 to exclude the mayor. “We are having an executive session with the council attorney regarding issues that we are having,” Councilwoman Anna Dobbins said. “I will be in attendance,” Mayor Paula Bell said. “No,” Dobbins responded. “You are not invited. I make a motion that Paula be not invited to the executi...
BASIN CITY — Charges may be pending against a man believed to have led law enforcement officers on a high speed chase across areas of Franklin and Adams Counties. The name of the suspect has yet to be released, as the case is still being investigated, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office reported. The details of the Saturday, Nov. 16, incident have been forwarded to the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for possible charges. The investigation stems from a chase that began when Franklin County deputies pursu...
OLYMPIA – State Department of Fish and Wildlife employees will fly drones over known pygmy rabbit locations on state and federal lands to test the effectiveness of tracking pygmy rabbits from the air. The agency will also fly drones over private lands, with permission, the agency said, noting the targeted areas will be in Grant and Douglas counties. Flights will occur from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning next month and continuing through October 2026. Flights will depend on w...
HATTON — The Washington State Patrol is stepping up its patrols from Nov. 21 to Dec. 1 as university students and others hit the road for Thanksgiving. The emphasis will focus on State Highway 26, linking Colfax to Othello and other cities. It will also include expanded patrols on U.S. Highways 195 and 395, as well as Interstate 90. District 4 troopers in Spokane, Whitman and Adams counties and District 6 troopers in Grant and Kittitas counties will be focusing on speeding, driving too fast for conditions, d...
LIND — Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner discussed the costs of providing law enforcement with town council members during a Nov. 12 meeting. Appearing before the council, Wagner noted that costs have been increasing, making it challenging to provide the level of law enforcement service needed in town. At the same time, he pointed out that he’s done his part to keep costs equitable. “The couple things that we’ve been doing for the past while, since I became sheriff, is trying to figure out a really good way of charging what’s...
Sheriff’s Log RITZVILLE — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reported the following calls for service from Oct. 27-30: Oct. 27 Assist troopers near Milepost 50 of State Highway 26. Deer hit by multiple vehicles at Milepost 94 of State Highway 26. Noise compliant in the 800 block of South Crestline Road, Othello. Suspicious people in the 2200 block of West Rainier Road, Othello. Runaway juvenile knocking on doors in the 700 block of South Reynolds Road, Othello. Cow on private property in the 2200 block of West Rainier Road,...
1 years ago The Ritzville Journal-Times Nov. 20, 1924 GETS $500 FINE ON LIQUOR CHARGE LIND - Karl Roth, a rancher living south of Lind, was arrested last Friday by Deputy Sheriffs Buehler, Oestreich and Fredericks. A search of his farm revealed a copper still; a quantity of wine was found in his cellar. He was tried before Justice Womach Saturday and was fined $500 and costs and given a jail sentence of 60 days which was suspended subject to payment of the fine and good...
RITZVILLE — A Moses Lake man posted bail after being arrested and booked into the Benton County Jail on numerous theft-related charges connected to Adams and Whitman Counties. Tomas Diaz-Layna, 34, of Moses Lake, was booked into the jail on Nov. 7 and released Nov. 14, jail records show. He is facing charges of residential burglary, second-degree burglary, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and first-degree theft. According to Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner, Diaz-Layna was wanted in connection with multiple burglaries. He...
RITZVILLE — The two incumbent Adams County commissioner facing Nov. 5 general election challenges have retained their seats. Unofficial results show Dan Blankenship topped challenger David Lobe to retain the District No. 1 seat. And Jay R. Weise retained his District No. 2 seat over challenger Hank Rivard. A count of late-arriving ballots on Nov. 8 showed Blankenship leading Lobe 2,854 votes (60.75%) to 1,754 (37.3%). There were 94 write-ins, or 2.0% of the total of 4,702. In the District 2 commissioner race, Weise’s tal...
RITZVILLE - It's not going to surprise many people that the wheat market is in no way a method to get rich quick. "It's down," Washington State University regional extension specialist Aaron Esser said about the wheat farmer's market price. "It's way down. I can go back over 10 years and find when the price of wheat was significantly higher than what it is currently, but I think it's well below the cost of production for most producers, especially if you start looking at...
— Editor’s note: The tally below represents what was available from Washington state on Monday, Nov. 11. Late-arriving ballots will continued to be counted until certification Nov. 26. Initiatives 2066 Yes 51.64% No 48.36% 2109 Yes 36.09% No 63.91% 2117 Yes 38.10% No 61.90% 2124 Yes 44.68% No 55.32% U.S. President Harris/Walz 57.60% Trump/Vance 38.84% Kennedy/Shanahan 1.34% Stein/Ware 0.71% Oliver/ ter Maat 0.40% U.S. Senate Maria Cantwell 59.32% Raul Garcia 40.41% 4th Congressional District Jerrod Sessler 46.63% Dan New...
RITZVILLE - Adams County commissioners met Oct. 8 and Nov. 5 to discuss a USDA grant of $2,600,000 for jail improvements. DOH Associates has been selected for general architectural services to the county. Public Works Director Todd O'Brien will notify DOH of the grant funds available for jail improvements. A scope of work will be developed by DOH to determine pre-architectural priorities, and what factors construction on those priorities may trigger. In other business Nov. 5,...
Land Transactions RITZVILLE – The Adams County Assessor’s Office reported the following land transactions during the week of Nov. 3-9: Nov. 7 Palos Verdes LLC of Othello, 712 E. Cascade St., Othello, to Gabriela Sanchez De La Cruz and Luis Enrique Jeronimo of Othello, $354,300. Nov. 6 Adolfo DeLeon, Leyd Diana Valdez, Armando DeLeon, Norma Juarez, Maria Luna, Hilario DeLeon, Angel DeLeon Jr. and Adrian DeLeon, 985 Cobblestone Road, Othello, to Sharone Rae Bray of Othello, $330,000. MTC Financial Inc. DBA Trustee Corps of Ken...
RITZVILLE — Faced with looming growth, the City Council unanimously approved a plan to lift the city’s hiring freeze during its Nov. 5 meeting. Councilwoman Michelle Plumb moved to modify the city government organizational chart to eliminate a vacant deputy clerk/treasurer 1 position, add a new community development director, lift the hiring freeze and allow for a hiring a part-time records clerk funded through March 30. She also moved to have staff modify the budget to include the changes and related wages. The council vot...
1 years ago The Ritzville Journal-Times Nov. 13, 1924 NEED $35,000 IN COUNTY ROAD WORK In order to provide funds for taking care of the road construction work the county commissioners will have to exceed their 1924 budget allowance by $35,000. They are therefore taking steps to declare an emergency, so the funds may be expended legally. The funds are on hand in other funds and will simply be transferred to the road and bridge fund. 75 years ago The Ritzville Journal-Times...
RITZVILLE — Retired Police Chief Dave McCormick will be feted during a retirement part Friday, Nov. 15. McCormick recently retired as the city’s top cop after 32 years of service. The party will take place from 2-4 p.m. at the Wheat Growers Assocaition office, 109 E. First Ave. The event is open to the public.....
You can find a photo inside the Pastime in 1949, which might have been the grand opening. "From what I've heard from a lot of the locals that have been around since then, this was the Pastime Sports Center, but it included a magazine stand and a soda fountain," said Ryan Reilly, who has reopened the business with his sister and brother-in-law after it has been shuttered for two years. "Also, kids could get their cleats and mitts and stuff for sports here," Reilly said. "At one...
RITZVILLE - Former Police Chief Dave McCormick gave the city his notice of retirement in February this year, but there was no public announcement of a vacancy until three months later. Perhaps the city was hoping he would change his mind, but the pause in advertising the job delayed hiring a replacement or even a fill-in until a permanent candidate could be selected. Finally the city selected Bill Benner to be an "interim" chief of police. Benner had an honorary cross-over...
OTHELLO - An Adams County Sheriff's Office deputy lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a guardrail Nov. 2 while responding to a burglary call. The Sheriff's Office has yet to identify the deputy; the Washington State Patrol is investigating the incident. According to Sheriff Dale Wagner, deputies were dispatched to a call of a burglary in progress in the 2100 block of West Cunningham Road at about 6:43 a.m. Records show the resident had woke up and found a man inside h...
RITZVILLE — A local boy accused of threatening to shoot classmates and bombing the school has pleaded not guilty to related charges. During a Monday, Nov. 4 hearing, Donald G. DesJardins, 14, of Ritzville, entered a not guilty plea to a felony charge of Revised Code of Washington 9.61.160, threats to bomb, before Adams County Superior Court Judge Andrea K. Russell. Desjardins was arrested Oct. 22, 2024, following a one-day investigation by area police agencies regarding alleged communications sent by DesJardins to various c...
Millions of people make considerable sacrifices to protect the freedoms of their fellow citizens. According to the Pew Research Center and data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Census Bureau, there are currently more than 18 million living veterans in the United States. The 2021 Census counted 461,240 veterans in Canada, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. The term ‘veteran’ refers to a person who served in the active military, naval, air service, or space service and was discharged or released und...
Jail Log RITZVILLE — The Adams County Prosecutimg Attortmey’s Office reported the following individuals in custody from Oct. 29-Nov. 4: Nov. 4: Alyssa Hesselroth, 38, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Munoz Aguilera, 28, driving without a license and driving while under the influence. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Noel DeLeon, 40, fourth-degree assault-domestic violence-prior domestic violence. Booked into the Franklin County Jail. Oct. 29: Josiah Matthew Barrera, 21, sec...
The most eye-catching area for commercial development in Ritzville is nestled around Exit 221 of Interstate 90. Plenty of businesses with brand-name recognition have already sprouted, from a Love’s Travel Stop to McDonald’s, and a Maverik station is near completion. “The Maverik is part of a large annexation that occurred, I think it’s been three years ago now,” said Julie Flyck, who is the Ritzville planner as well as the city clerk and treasurer. Looking very enticing beyond the Maverik station is the planned but not yet d...