Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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ODESSA - Building a culture that lasts beyond the scoreboard is the top priority for Odessa's new head football coach. Kolby Schafer, 52, a lifelong local resident - who farms 5,000 acres and is raising two children ages 12 and 10 - said his commitment to the community and passion for the game drew him to the job. "What interested me in the coaching job was my pride and commitment to the community of Odessa, as well as my passion for the game of football," Schafer said. "As...
DAVENPORT - Local business owners are moving to revive the dormant Chamber of Commerce. An information meeting on the effort took place Thursday, Aug. 20, at Pioneer Plaza. Another meeting is set for Sept. 3 at Tribune Provisions, 502 Morgan St. Business owner Dawn Shaver said former chamber secretary, Dick Wandling, did not want the chamber to dissolve, so he set a deadline to see if there was interest in keeping it. "I was really surprised we had that big of a turnout," she...
DAVENPORT - The Lincoln County Junior Livestock Sale generated $248,470.60 this year as the number of market animals jumped from 75 to 119. The total is up from $195,866.30 in 2025, according to sale comparison figures. Tim O'Connell, one of three primary members of the Lincoln County Junior Livestock Sale Association, said the count is still preliminary. "Final figures are not complete," O'Connell said. The running total was around $255,000, including support money entered...
ODESSA — The Federal Aviation Administration has removed a proposed airport taxiway from its budget. Town Clerk-Treasurer Jaime Nelson told the council Monday, Aug. 24, that the change puts about $258,000 in expiring airport funds at risk. The project had been listed on the town’s 2025-29 capital improvement plan, but the FAA took it out of the fiscal 2027-31 memo, Nelson said. “We don’t have reasons why,” she said. “It’s been on there since 2025. We’ve been planning for it.” Staff planned a Wednesday digital meeting w...
DAVENPORT — A Coulee Dam teenager was arrested Saturday night, Aug. 22, after deputies said he backed into a parked pickup at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds and left without notifying the owner. Michael Alan Gause Jr., 18, of Coulee Dam, was booked into the Lincoln County Jail for hit and run-unattended vehicle and possession of marijuana by a person under 21, court records show. According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, the arrest came after Cooper William Gale called 911 about 10:47 p.m. Aug. 22 and reported a n...
DAVENPORT — A Spokane woman was arrested Wednesday night, Aug. 19, after deputies found her with a stolen work van parked near a trailhead. Danielle Crystallia Garcia, 44, of Spokane, was booked into the Lincoln County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, records show. According to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, she was arrested after a traffic stop-style contact near the intersection of Laughbon Landing and Porcupine Bay Roads about 9:23 p.m. The call began as a welfare check, according to Sheriff’s Office recor...
DAVENPORT - Goats in John Deere gear, pigs dressed as Luigi and Fred Flintstone, and a lamb wrapped in red, white and blue were just a few of the entries Thursday in the Lincoln County Fair's animal costume parade. The annual contest drew a large group of young exhibitors who traded the usual show-ring pressure for creativity and laughs. Roger Buchholtz, 9, entered his goat Honey in full John Deere attire. Everything he owns is John Deere, he said. Putting the costume together...
DAVENPORT - Lincoln County has named a longtime resident and former prevention specialist as its new public health director, citing her rural experience, leadership background and deep community ties. Danita Hammond, 47, of Davenport, previously worked nearly a decade as a prevention specialist for Lincoln County Public Health, returned to the department after serving on the county Board of Health and building a career in business and leadership roles across the Pacific...
DAVENPORT - A Seattle man pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Aug. 18, to a charge of attempting to elude police in connection with a January high-speed pursuit on U.S. Highway 2. David James Marshall, 35, of Seattle, appeared before Judge Adam Walser in Lincoln County Superior Court on one count of attempting to elude, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to court records. After his plea, Marshall was released on personal...
DAVENPORT - Lincoln County is losing a patrol deputy to nearby Okanogan County. Deputy Blake Martin of Electric City will step down Aug. 30. Sheriff Gabe Gants notified the county commissioners and Civil Service Commission of the resignation in an Aug. 11 letter and requested permission to hire a replacement. Commissioners approved the request Aug. 17. In a personal letter to Gants, Martin wrote the decision "did not come lightly." "Over the past few years, I have had some...
DAVENPORT - A second-year lifeguard says the biggest challenges on the stand rarely involve water emergencies and more often center on managing what kids are doing or saying. Malachi Hoff, 19, of Davenport, returned to the city pool this summer after a positive first season. He said he enjoyed the staff, the work and the chance to be outside in the sun. Certification is required every other year. Hoff completed his last year in a three-day course that mixed classroom...
DAVENPORT - Major crimes across Lincoln County remained nearly flat from 2024 to 2025, according to the latest Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs report. According to the organization's annual Crime in Washington report, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, which provides most of the county's law enforcement, reported 350 Group A (major) offenses in 2025 compared with 351 the previous year, a drop of 0.3%. The agency cleared 165 cases for a clearance rate of...
ODESSA — The Town Council approved a new service-charge schedule Monday, Aug 10., aimed at residents who ignore yard-waste and nuisance notices. The first certified letter will remain free. Any subsequent letters sent within the same calendar year will carry escalating fees beginning at $50. The change takes effect Jan. 1. The council also approved updated language so the compliance clock starts 13 days after the letter is mailed, rather than when it is received. Officials said some residents have avoided action simply by n...
HARRINGTON - Several fire crews responded to combine fire that started from the machine's emissions filter Tuesday, Aug. 11. Nick Layton Colbert, 50, of Harrington, was harvesting for himself when the fire began. "It was a combine fire," Colbert said. "I was in the combine and it came off the exhaust - the diesel exhaust on the emissions side of the combine started the fire." Colbert said it was a small fire at first, and he nearly extinguished it with a combine-mounted water...
REARDAN — A resident questioned the ongoing cost and value of automated license plate reading cameras during the Aug. 6 Town Council meeting. Chantel Nilles said the cameras cost the town about $540 a month even though the town doesn’t have a police department of its own using them. The local cameras are leased from Flock Safety, which also currently reports having two cameras each in Reardan, Davenport and Wilbur, and one in Harrington. She cited research on other cities that have ended contracts over privacy and dat...
REARDAN - A 2022 agreement in which the town paid engineering costs for a private land-development project came under public questioning at the Aug. 6 council meeting. Resident Richelle Poitra presented a "Payment Guaranty" signed March 16, 2022, by Gail Daniels and then-Mayor Pro Tempore Clay Soliday. Under the document, the town agreed to "initially pay costs incurred for Debtor's prospective land development in Reardan," with Daniels promising to reimburse the town in...
DAVENPORT — A Harrington woman was arrested early Friday, Aug. 7, for driving while intoxicated. Amanda Lynn Dinwiddie, 34, of Harrington, was booked into the Lincoln County Jail on charges of driving under the influence and driving while license suspended According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office deputies stopped her vehicle following a 911 call about a fight with her boyfriend shortly after midnight, according to Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office records. She reported arguing with her boyfriend, Ryan Christopher Gru...
REARDAN — Mayor Kathy Eastman presented a lengthy list of accounting and budget corrections at the Aug. 6 council meeting, covering issues from 2024 through early 2026. The report included unpaid or misapplied reimbursements, incorrect BARS coding, missing public-records logs, unposted expenses from 2025 now being paid in 2026, and several grant-related errors. Among the larger items was a $29,929 retainage payment to a street-improvement contractor that had not been made and more than $25,000 in unprocessed Lincoln County D...
ODESSA - A fire hydrant struck by a vehicle nearly 10 months ago remains out of service. The hydrant was hit Oct. 6, 2025. Damage was not fully reported to the Fire Department at the time, and the unit has been unusable since. Fire Chief Brian Schorzman told the City Council during a Monday, Aug. 10, meeting that the older, smaller hydrant needs to be replaced; its location forces longer hose lays for structure fires in the surrounding area. Police said they cannot...
DAVENPORT - A Spokane man pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary Tuesday, Aug. 11, and was sentenced to a prison-based drug Offender sentencing alternative totaling 38 months. Andrew Lee Martin, 45, of Spokane, entered the plea before Judge Adam Walser in Lincoln County Superior Court. The court imposed 19 months of confinement with credit for time served and 19 months of probation under Department of Corrections supervision, according to court documents. The sentence...
DAVENPORT - A man charged with possessing stolen vehicles and firearms as a convicted felon appeared in court Tuesday, Aug. 11, and had his arraignment continued while he seeks private counsel. Erich Hans Urbat, 43, faces two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, both Class B felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine each, and two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, both Class C felonies punishable by up to five years and a...
DAVENPORT — Farmers can apply next month for grants reimbursing up to 85% of the cost of climate-smart equipment. The Climate Smart Farm Equipment Grant opens for applications at 8 a.m. Sept. 4. The window closes at 5 p.m. Oct. 19. The program reimburses commercial farms for a portion of eligible equipment and delivery costs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or improve soil and water quality. The standard rate is 75% of costs, up to $200,000 per farm. An enhanced rate of 85% is available for operations with gross cash f...
ODESSA - With limited summer job options in town, a local teenager chose the pool because she wanted a chance to help her community while gaining work experience. Jordyn Lewis, 17, of Odessa, is spending the season as a lifeguard at the city pool. She said the training this year was demanding. "It was pretty difficult this year," Lewis said. "We compacted everything into two days, including the brick test, which is really hard at 12 feet. We also had to do a lot of laps,...
DAVENPORT - High school football practices across Lincoln County are set to open Wednesday, Aug. 19, as coaches emphasize heat safety, scheme execution and building depth with large underclass groups. Davenport Gorillas Coach Trenton Briney said practice officially begins with 8-11 a.m. sessions Wednesday to avoid the worst heat and smoke. "Practice will be upbeat and up-tempo to focus on multiple aspects of the game, while emphasizing a positive team culture," Briney said. Th...
DAVENPORT - Smoke from regional wildfires forced temporary closures of the Davenport and Odessa swimming pools earlier this week, though both reopened Wednesday as air quality improved. The Davenport pool was closed Monday and Tuesday after air quality levels climbed above 200, according to David Leath with the city. The decision was made with input from lifeguards and a city council member. "The levels were over 200 and that's a bit unsafe for guards and kids to be in the...
