Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
FISHTRAP – Lincoln County Fire Protection District No. 1, led by Fire Chief Mitch Lowry, responded to a fire near Fishtrap Lake Sunday, July 11, around 7 p.m. Fishtrap Lake is a reservoir located about five miles north of Sprague in Lincoln County. "I haven't gotten a morning update yet, but we had it knocked down pretty well under control," Lowry said early Monday morning, July 12, adding DNR and BLM crews mopped up overnight. Lowry said he had seven trucks at the fire w...
RITZVILLE – Gov. Jay Inslee is refusing requests to declare a drought emergency in the state. Two wheat industry officials — Washington Association of Wheat Growers President Ryan Poe and Washington Grain Commission Chairman Mike Carstensen — requested the emergency drought declaration June 15 in a letter to the governor. A drought emergency declaration would give affected farmers access to additional governmental resources. "As the extremely hot temperatures have reminded us, much of Eastern Washington — including our whe...
RITZVILLE - Benge native Don Saunders served with the Navy during the Vietnam War. He was 21 when he enlisted in 1966. "I got a notice from the Army, and I didn't want to jump from foxhole to foxhole, so I joined the Navy," Saunders recalled. "When I signed up, the Navy recruiter put me ahead of some other guys. My dad asked him why, and he said, 'Because he is a farm boy. He knows how to work and follow instructions.'" After a 120-day delay, Saunders went to boot camp in San...
RITZVILLE - The Reardan Indians traveled to Ritzville to face the Broncos in a double header on the Bob Heider Memorial Field Saturday, April 17. The Indians won the first game 10 - 5. The Broncos came back for a win in the second game, 11-9. Broncos on the mound for the first game were Owen Telecky for five innings and Chase Galbreath for two. "We're still a pretty young team, with pretty inexperienced pitchers. We've got just a couple pitchers who have pitched before,"...
RITZVILLE - The Reardan Indians traveled to Ritzville to face the Broncos in a double header on the Bob Heider Memorial Field Saturday, April 17. The Indians won the first game 10 - 5. The Broncos came back for a win in the second game, 11-9. Broncos on the mound for the first game were Owen Telecky for five innings and Chase Galbreath for two. "We're still a pretty young team, with pretty inexperienced pitchers. We've got just a couple pitchers who have pitched before,"...
SPRAGUE – Loi Lutes was selected from nearly a dozen nominees as the Sprague Citizen of the Year at the Chamber of Commerce Jan. 21 meeting. Chamber vice president Tim Wilken said it was the most nominations the chamber had ever seen. Wilken, who sat on the committee to select the Citizen of the Year with other past Citizens of the Year, said Lutes was someone who "goes above and beyond" in her career, while finding time to help with the local 4-H, her church and other g...
SPRAGUE – The Chamber of Commerce installed officers and board members at their Jan. 21 meeting, with Pastor Bob Bridge of the Community Church administering the oath of office. Tim Wilken was sworn in as president; Chris Day, appearing over the phone, as vice-president; Joy Wilken as Treasurer (non-signer); and Melissa Salisbury as secretary. Additional board members sworn in were Jill Sheffels, Dave Davisson and Sherry Stowell. The board honored former president Dorothy G...
SPRAGUE – Retired school administrator Patrick Whipple fulfilled an item on his “bucket list” when he published a book on local history earlier this summer. A 1973 Sprague High School alum who retired in 2017 as the superintendent of the Sprague School District, Whipple said it was on his “to do” list to write a book about some of the stories his grandfather and father told him. “I’ve had them in my head for 20, 30, 40 years — a long time,” Whipple said. “My dad always to...
SPRAGUE – Sprague Days was cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that didn’t stop Spokane Disc Dogs from holding a local championship of the Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship Series. Two one-minute rounds were held in a 60 x 150-foot field with five scoring zones set up in the park next to the Viking Restaurant. Turnout was limited, with skies filled with wildfire smoke categorized as hazardous. Six dogs and eight throwers competed in the event, whi...
SPRAGUE – The annual Sprague Days events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, but community members and visitors carried on with events throughout the day, including a contest hosted by Spokane Disk Dogs in town. A Cruise the Lake Car and Bike Show at Four Seasons Resort featured music by Spokane DJ Scott Baker, a jumpy house for kids and several vendors. The Sprague Chamber of Commerce held their annual raffle in the late afternoon, which brought in $2,054. “It was a great success,” said Chamber President Joy Wilke...
RITZVILLE – U.S. Bank will be temporarily closing it's Ritzville branch Friday, August 28. "The Ritzville location has operated on a limited basis since the onset of the COVID-19 public health crisis, and will temporarily close to allow staffing resources to be used in other ways to support our customers," said Vice President Evan A. Lapiska Thursday, August 27. "We will continue to serve customers through our other branches in the area, including lobby service in H...
The formerly shuttered livestock processing facility in Odessa has a new lease on life, with the new owners using the facility to help launch a direct-sales beef program. Miles Curtis, who ranches near Odessa, Ewan and Tokio, bought the facility this spring. The facility had formerly been operated by the non-profit group Cattle Producers of Washington. The new plant, called Limit Bid Packing, processes the beef for Curtis’ direct sales program, as well as processing animals f...
RITZVILLE - The first count of Adams County ballots in the August 4 primary election show several candidates with strong leads in this early stage of the race. Ballots counted so far include those received in the Auditors office by Friday, July 31, according to Adams County Elections Administrator Jacque Laird. Total Adams County ballots in the 8 p.m. Aug. 4 count were 1520. Dan Newhouse has a strong lead to keep his seat as U.S. Representative, Congressional District 4, with...
SPRAGUE – Dan and Trisha Nelson opened Sapphire Cannabis May 2, taking over where 2020 Solutions had been the previous three years. Dan Nelson, owner of Nelson Construction out of Odessa, said the couple was looking to get into the business of cannabis farming when this opportunity opened up. He said he started to get to know people in the business when he and his daughter started a You-Tube channel called Washington Weed Reviews. "We wanted to point out quality products w...
SPRAGUE – Dave Davisson is enjoying life as the new owner of Four Seasons Campground and Resort on Sprague Lake. Davisson took over the resort from the former owners about three months ago after closing on the deal a month and a half prior. His business partner, Andy Louie, made the dream possible. “Andy has a lot of properties in Spokane I help him out with, and in return he is helping me out with my retirement,” Davisson, 52, said. Davisson has always worked in the construction trade, and finds his experience comes in ha...
PORTLAND, Ore. - A man wanted in connection with the shooting death of his father in Ritzville remained in the Multnomah County Inverness Jail on Tuesday morning, booked on several charges. Grayson D.W. Morris, 26, is being held without bail on charges of first-degree robbery with a firearm, attempting to elude by vehicle, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and four counts each of unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree attempted...
RITZVILLE -- One person is dead in an early morning shooting here at a home at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Washington Street. Police Chief Dave McCormick said the shooting occurred about 5:30 a.m. Dispatchers received a call at 5:39 a.m. from a neighbor who heard gunshots, he said. Officers arriving on scene found one person deceased. McCormick was still on the scene, along with Adams County Sgt. Garcia, at 9:30 a.m. No other information was immediately available....
LIND – The Lind Combine Demolition Derby has fallen casualty to the coronavirus pandemic. During an April 28 Town Council meeting, Mayor Paula Bell said the Lions Club has cancelled the event for this year. The news reached Sen. Mark Schoesler quickly. “As a past champion of the Lind Lions Club Combine Demolition Derby, I was sorry to learn this past weekend that one of the local casualties of the Inslee shutdown is the 2020 derby,” Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said May 1 while also responding to the governor’s decisio...
Who can deny the beauty of a crisp fall day full of late-season sunshine and laughter in the air, as gorgeous crimson leaves twirl down to the ground from stately oaks, maples and other American hardwoods? Last Wednesday, at the potato giveaway in Ritzville, the air had many of those same elements — spring air still crisp enough for winter jackets, and sparks of laughter as neighbors came together to distribute a bountiful harvest of potatoes. The locally grown spuds were originally destined for area processors to turn i...
RITZVILLE — Hospitals statewide are taking a financial hit with Gov. Jay Inslee's order to suspend any non-essential services, and East Adams Rural Healthcare is doing their best to weather the storm. “We are still providing our swing bed, inpatient and emergency services, but our rehabilitation therapy and outpatient clinic services are very minimal right now, because folks should be staying at home unless they need care to prevent them from really having a detrimental effect to their health,” Chief Executive Officer Corey...
MOSES LAKE - An alleged drunken, wrong-way driver caused a four-vehicle pileup on Interstate 90 on Thursday, April 2. Christopher L. Mainard, 26, of Snohomish, was intoxicated at the scene and arrested for driving under the influence of the 8:17 p.m. crash between Ritzville and Moses Lake, southwest of Odessa, the Washington State Patrol said, noting the crash occurred at Milepost 193, 18 miles east of Moses Lake. Mainard was westbound in the left lane of eastbound I-90 when...
RITZVILLE — Area seamstresses have been sewing fast and furiously to get cloth masks donated to area hospitals, medical facilities, senior centers and other organizations. Their work has also been provided to the Adams County Sheriff's Office, gas stations, U.S. Postal Service and grocery stores for use during the coronavirus pandemic. Dorcey Hunt, an East Adams Rural Healthcare physical therapist, said she saw a Facebook post by Odessa's Kelsey Scrupps asking for help c...
HARRINGTON — A new mayor will be appointed during a special City Council meeting today, Thursday, April 2. The special meeting will be via conference call, beginning at 6 p.m. To participate, 978-990-5000 and enter access code 809428 followed by the pound (#) key when prompted. City Clerk Janice Cepeda said the seat has heretofore been filled temporarily by City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tempore Nathan Luck. Mayor Justin Slack stepped down Jan. 8 in the wake of a controversy over paying city employees for their earned v...
