Noon siren slated for repair

RITZVILLE – If you’ve been hearing the “noon whistle” at odd times throughout the day, your ears haven’t been deceiving you.

At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Fire Chief Joel Bell asked, tongue-in-cheek, “Has anyone missed anything at noon?”

He explained that an initial investigation with the siren indicated problems with the power source.

One evening at about 8 p.m., Bell said he accidentally set off the whistle at City Park and fire station, noting, “The park whistle goes off first, then the fire station siren starts winding up.”

The siren is scheduled to sound every day at noon, as is...