2016 Year in Review: News Stories

January

Members of the Ritzville Police Department, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, Ritzville City Council and city employees gathered to honor Ritzville Police Chief David McCormick for performing live saving actions in November 2014. Sergeant Mark Cameron read the citation concerning the actions taken on Nov. 7, 2014, which resulted in Chief McCormick saving the life of a seven-week-old male child.

At the request of former Adams County Sherriff John Hunt, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) conducted a Local Jail and Justice System Assessment (LJSA) of the Adams County Jail located in Ritzville recently published a report of their findings. The report shows the jail building, though well maintained for 74 years, is recommended to be “replaced with a new, more cost effective safer and constitutionally-sound facility.”

The Fairway Café has been in operation at the Ritzville Golf Course Clubhouse for the numerous years, and during that time, the restaurant has been operated by various individuals. Since the middle of October, Chris Peterson has been operating the Café. It happened to be the first time she had been in the restaurant since she moved to the area two years prior.

February

The Ritzville Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, to find a house on Second Avenue and Adams Street fully engulfed in flames. The family had evacuated the home, but the Ritzville Fire Chief Bill Banner reported the fire claimed the lives of four dogs.

The Feb. 9 Special Election showed the countywide support for school district’s Maintenance and Operation (M&O) levies, but the Ritzville School District bond results had a different outcome. Requiring a super-majority to pass, voters split down the middle with almost exactly 50 percent rejecting the bond proposal. The 20-year bond proposed to voters totaled $12.8 million and included multiple projects for facility upgrades and construction within the local district.

Ten years ago, Birth and Baby moved to Lind. The Jacobsen’s found the Methodist church located on I Street listed on eBay and made an offer. They have slowly remodeled the building to fit their needs and in the meantime P.J. found another passion for quilting.

March

Paranoia and anger caused by drug consumption led to the murder of a 24-year-old woman on the side of I-90, about 20 miles west of Ritzville, early on March 1. Adams County Sheriff’s Office investigated the homicide and arrested Manuel Argomaniz-Camargo in connection with the murder. The homicide had initially been reported as a pedestrian versus vehicle collision, according to Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner.

Tessa Jantz received the title of 2017 Distinguished Young Woman of Ritzville on Friday night, in front of a nearly sold out crowd in the Ritzville Grade School gymnasium. The two finalists joining her to represent the Ritzville community through out the upcoming year are Erica Leffel and Kennea Estler-Teal. Community members, friends and families of the participants packed into the gymnasium on March 18 to be a part of the annual event and watch another well-executed and prepared program.

The City of Ritzville received a large donation from the Sprenger Family to erect a memorial in the Ritzville City Park in the Spring of 2015. Since then the Tree Board has been working to secure pillars for this memorial. The memorial includes three rock pillars of various sizes and will include a 20-foot lighted flagpole, as was requested by the family.

April

The Lind-Ritzville FFA chapter has continued to their success in the Agronomy contest, by having a team win the state competition and earn a trip to the FFA National Convention for the 10th consecutive years. The FFA had two teams compete in the state contest on March 23. The team members who won the competition and will travel to Indianapolis this fall in hopes of bringing back the national title are Madison Harder, Tessa Jantz, Peyton Curtis, Nathan Naught and Camden Smith.

Residents may have been wondering about changes happening to the building located at 408 West First Avenue in Ritzville over the past few months. A new coat of paint on the previous Blue Bike building and the addition of a structure resembling a greenhouse have created much curiosity in the community. Resident’s questions have been answered with the coming Grand Opening of Boxwood Home and Garden on April 9.

The Lind and Ritzville School Boards unanimously agreed to allow Washtucna School District athletes to participate in Lind-Ritzville/Sprague athletics. The discussion began earlier in the month when representatives from the Lind, Ritzville and Washtucna school boards met to discuss the possibility of an athletic cooperative. During the monthly meeting of the Lind and Ritzville School Boards on April 25, the board members agreed to extend a one year trial for Washtucna students to participate in all sports.

May

Residents were shocked on Friday, April 29, as they witnessed Sunny Spot Floral and Gifts, Burlap, Bling and Boutique, and Skin Deep Aesthetics moving out of their storefront in downtown Ritzville. Connie Galbreath, owner of Sunny Spot and Burlap, Bling and Boutique, has operated Sunny Spot in downtown Ritzville for 11 years. Skin Deep Aesthetics, owned by Ruthie Panter, became a downtown Ritzville business in July 2015.

After the sudden loss of three local businesses on April 29, Skin Deep Aesthetics’ owner Ruthie Panter supplied a copy of the air quality report, dealing with the building located at 202 West Main Avenue, to The Journal. Panter advised her primary reason for vacating the property and closing her business is due to health issues, which she believes are directly related to mold and poor air quality in the space she rented.

June

For countless years, areas in the City of Ritzville have been plagued by colonies of feral cats. Throughout the next six months, Spay Neuter Your Pet (SNYP) is working to reduce the negative effects of the colonies through a trap-neuter-return program. Funded through a grant from the Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control, the dedicated group of local volunteers will be setting up traps throughout the areas deemed with the largest feral cat population.

The first class of students to attend all four years in the cooperative of Lind-Ritzville High School received recognition for their achievements during the graduation ceremony on June 4 in Gilson Gymnasium. The ceremony honored 44 Lind-Ritzville High School graduates who collectively managed to accumulate approximately $100,000 in scholarships and awards. Valedictorian Dinah Gadberry and Salutatorian Travis Ste. Marie led the class of 2016 into the gym.

Summer is in full swing with the opening of the Ritzville Water Park on June 10. The local establishment is prepared to welcome patrons back to the pool and is making plans for another successful summer. The pool is under new management this year, with Angalina Vallone moving from her role on the Parks and Recreation Board to the manager position.

The remainder of the 2016 News Year in Review, and the 2016 Sports Year in Review will be published in the Jan. 12 edition of The Journal.