Spains build a better life in Ritzville

RITZVILLE – Accustomed to the warmer weather of Palmdale, Calif., Diane Spain didn't expect the single-digit winter temperatures of rural Eastern Washington.

On their arrival here in December 2014, she asked her husband Pete Spain, "Why didn't you tell me it was so cold?"

But the couple adapted.

Pete and his wife hoped to give their kids a better life. "We ended up in Ritzville because Pete's mother lived here and we wanted the kids to be near their grandparents," Diane said.

"We also wanted a safe environment for our kids. In California, gangs had infiltrated the area where we lived," Pete ad...