Remembering the news headlines from 2015

June

The Lind-Ritzville High School Class of 2015 earned a combined $152,140 in scholarships and awards. There were 31 students honored during the ceremony on June 6, in Gilson Gymnasium. Valedictorians were Sara Aldrich, Jenna Bennett and Kate Schell and the salutatorians were Beau Jones and Mallory Kessler.

Five seniors graduated from the Washtucna School District and received their diplomas. Gail Harder was the class valedictorian; her fellow classmates were Douglas McKeen, Chance Rice, Kaese Ramos and Eric Wise.

July

Congressman Dan Newhouse made a trip to Ritzville to meet with community leaders and discuss local and national issues and concerns. This was the Newhouse’s first trip to Ritzville since being elected as congressman for the Fourth District.

Ritzville resident Molly Schmidt turned 110 and celebrated the occasion on July 18 with friends and family.

The construction on East Adams Rural Hospital began in mid-June. This project was focused around the expansion of the existing basement and the installation of air handlers on the roof. The existing building also began to undergo renovations with portions of the roof being torn out.

August

The historic Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home celebrated its 125th anniversary on Aug. 15. The Burroughs Home and Museum was celebrated with an ice cream social and an afternoon of family friendly activities.

On Friday, Aug. 14, emergency crews in Ritzville were called to a multiple-vehicle collision on Northbound 395, 10 miles south of Ritzville. Strong winds carried thick dust over Adams County and caused zero visibility resulting in this crash. Within the hour Ritzville and Lind’s Fire Departments were called 14 miles south of the original scene where an additional collision occurred which resulted in a fire. An estimated 50 vehicles were involved in the collisions.

September

The Ritzville Community Parade took place on Sept. 5 with Larry and Diane Swift as the Grand Marshalls. There were 53 entries in the parade, sponsored by the Ritzville Chamber of Commerce.

The parade also held a special float for visiting royalty. This year two floats were created for the Distinguished Young Women across the region. Hallie Jo Galbreath invited her fellow DYW to the parade and realized a lot of the ladies didn’t have their own floats. The Ritzville Festival Association worked hard the week prior to the parade to create this second float so all DYW in attendance could experience the parade from a float.

The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair livestock sale grossed $107,219 this year and featured over 40 exhibitors with a total of 69 animals sold. The amount of livestock sold was lower than last year but the sale ended with one of the highest yields.

October

The Adams County Development Council brought numerous presenters to Ritzville for the Reviving Rural Downtowns Workshop which took place at the Legion Hall with over 100 individuals in attendance. Other sponsors of the event included the City of Ritzville, the Horizons Committee and the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce. There were topics such as grants and funding, creating successful events, branding cities and redevelopment and preservation techniques.

The Ritzville Fire Department received a lower rating from the Washington State Rating Bureau, which ensured residents with a structure within city limits’ insurance premiums did not rise. They received a rating of six compared to last years’ rating of seven.

November

The Nov. 3 General Election held a 25.37 percent voter turnout. In the contested races incumbent Paula Bell retained her position on the Lind Town Council, Wayne Johnstone secured his role on the Washtucna School Board of Directors, Jason Snyder filled the role of Fire District 7 Commissioner Position 2, Matt Kubik stepped into the role of Fire District 1 Commissioner Position 1 and Mary Dye was elected in the Legislative District No. 9 State Representative race.

Local resident Dylan Bauman plead guilty to one count of assault of a child in the second degree and will be serving 10 years with the Department of Corrections along with 18 months of community custody. This case began on Nov. 7, 2014 when emergency personnel responded to a call of a seven-week-old baby who was not breathing.

The Marketing Plan team of Britte Harder, Abigail McGregor and Jason Wigen from LaCrosse High School were named National Champions at the 88th National FFA convention.

The Lind-Ritzville FFA Agronomy team finished 12th in the nation with team members Raeann Hoeft, TyAnn Tellefson, Taylor Kulm and Dinah Gadberry.

December

The Ritzville School District proposed a $12.8 million dollar bond to improve the school facilities at the grade school and high school as well as to build a new auxiliary gym. This bond will be on a special election ballot on Feb. 9.

The Town of Lind received their finalized audit which showed the need for a fraud investigation due to a misappropriation of $48,268 in funds. The money mostly comes from delayed deposits of checks and cash and the town lost a total of $1,183 in stale checks. The Town has now filed a report with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and they have sent a copy of the report to the Adams County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.