Year in Review: Revisiting 2017

January

Julia Klein was announced as the Credit For Kids program winner through Spokane Teachers Credit Union (STCU). Lind School District Principal Cindy Deska nominated Klein for the program for her outstanding community service and involvement with the school. Klein received $500 from STCU, which will go towards supporting the Lind School District.

Merlee Liberty was crowned the 2017 Ritzville Rodeo Queen during a coronation banquet where she received her crown from former queen Peyton Curtis. Liberty would spend the next several months representing the Ritzville Rodeo Association in area rodeos, parades and events.

Adams County Fire Protection District No. 1 and Ritzville EMTs gathered in front of the fire station for an End of Watch ceremony to honor the life of Jimmie Bostic. The departments were notified of his death earlier in the day and ceremony was scheduled to celebrate Bostic, who served as a mentor for numerous emergency responders. Over the years, he served as Ritzville Fire Chief and was a member of the Ritzville Emergency Medical Service team. His hard work and effort also led to the construction of the Ritzville Ambulance Association building.

February

The Ritzville City Council approved an ordinance regarding regulations of marijuana production, processing and retail sales in the city limits. The ordinance included verbiage to match state laws, and update the distance marijuana retailers and processors have to be away from residential and public areas. The document was amended to update the violations and penalties section to match state law.

The excess moisture from the snow and rain damaged roads throughout Adams County, making them inaccessible and even life threatening in some areas. The severe damage led to Adams County Commissioners to declare an emergency due to the weather-related issues. One incident included a washout on Lind-Warden Road, which County Engineer Scott Yaeger said it was the worst road failure he had seen in his 22 years in the area.

Northwest Farm Credit Representative Stacey Schoessler presented the Washtucna FFA and 4-H chapters with a $3,500 check.

The funding is from the Rural Community Grant, which is sponsored through Northwest Farm Credit and will be used to complete fencing around land owned by the FFA chapter. The chapter received the land as a donation and has been used by students for projects. A growing demand for the facilities led the chapter to pursue grants and local donations.

March

Lind High School graduate Brandon Knodel spent two years hiding a secret identity from those around him - until one night on Beasley Coliseum where he was unmasked as Butch T. Cougar, the Washington State University mascot.

Coming from a family of WSU fans, Knodel spent his childhood idolizing Butch. When he was an adult, he wanted to give back to his alma mater and decided to don the Butch T. Cougar costume.

Tessa O’Brien received the title of the 2018 Distinguished Young Woman of Ritzville in front of a sold out crowd at the Ritzville Grade School gymnasium. The two finalists who joined her were Rachel Schell and Sierra Kiel.

As the 2018 Distinguished Young Woman of Ritzville, O’Brien received a $1,000 scholarship while Kiel and Schell each received $500 for being finalists.

Community members gathered at the WSU Extension Center to hear Humanities Washington David Gordon present details of his book “The Sasquatch Seeker’s Field Manual” and his findings regarding the mythical beast.

During his presentation, Gordon explained people are always trying to create controversy and will sometimes manipulate images to start a dispute on the existence of cryptids. When it comes to the evidence of Sasquatch, Gordon urged people to analyze photos carefully and conduct research before drawing conclusions.

April

Ritzville firefighters David Breazeale and Robert Dew were the first wave of firefighters, along with Fire Chief Bill Banner and fellow firefighter Mark Cameron, to respond to a structure fire and save the life of a man trapped inside of a burning building.

Their heroic act at the Nov. 10, 2016, incident resulted in them being honored at the American Red Cross’ annual Hometown Heroes Luncheon at the Spokane Convention Center.

Fifth grade students from the Ritzville Grade School participated in multiple outdoor activities at the City Park in celebration of Arbor Day.

Assisted by the Ritzville Public Works employees, the students planted two trees at the park and two more trees at the Zip’s plaza. Students were asked to write an essay about their favorite tree to be judged by the Ritzville Tree Board.

The Adams County Judicial Court positions changed, following the decision of the Adams County Board of Commissioners to redistrict the county into a single district.

The previous Justice Court Districting Plan was formed 40 years ago and had not undergone any modifications since its inception. The Commissioners considered changes to the former plan because of the need and circumstances of the civil and criminal justice system in Adams County.

May

Ritzville said goodbye to its oldest resident, Molly Schmidt, after her passing on May 8. Born in Canada on July 22, 1905, Schmidt would later move to Ritzville and serve as the community’s oldest residents for several years.

Schmidt was also the oldest citizen in Washington state and the ninth oldest living supercentenarian in the United States.

The Ritzville Lions Club honored Dr. Warren Kragt with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award. This was only the second time a Ritzville Lion received the honor.

Kirk Danekas presented the award to Kragt, and shared memories and stories about the doctor’s time with the organization. Kragt has been a Lion for 30 years and has served the organization in multiple capacities, as well as provided assistance on each and every civic improvement project since he joined.

Former Lind and Ritzville resident Carol Lee Krehbiel created a gratitude scholarship: The Carol Lee Krehbiel-Jennie Jantz Scholarship in hopes of relieving some of the financial burden of college for area Lind-Ritzville High School students.

The scholarship is geared toward aspiring in-need students who intended on continuing their education after high school by granting $2,500 in expenses.

Krehbiel named the scholarship after herself and her mother, Jennie Jantz, who served as a school teacher in the Lind, Ritzville and Odessa area for 12 years.

June

Long-time resident Kindra Haase opened Kindra’s Coffee Bar, a family-owned and operated coffee shop in downtown Lind. In opening the coffee shop, Haase hopes it will bring a fun and positive environment to the town for community members to enjoy their favorite beverages.

The coffee shop contains pieces of history from former Lind businesses, such as candy display from “The Golden Grain.” Lind residents also donated items to be used in the coffee shop.

Ritzville Grade School student Ashleigh Swartz was named to the 2017 AAA School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame during an awards ceremony at Safeco Field before a Seattle Mariners game.

During her time on safety patrol, Swartz showed selfless service leadership and the dedication to brave all types of weather in order to protect the safety of her fellow students as they head to and from school. She ranked among the top 10 outstanding patrollers to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.

The Adams County Development Council celebrated a 10-year milestone at the annual ACDC banquet on June 17.

ACDC Business Development Marketing Coordinator Julie Flyckt shared highlights of the organization’s activities in the past year. Dr. Donald Sebesta, owner and creator of the Lasting Legacy Wildlife Museum, provided the keynote presentation for the banquet.

The remainder of the 2017 News Year in Review, and the 2017 Sports Year in Review will be published in the Jan. 11 edition of The Journal.