Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Saturday night, I had an opportunity to listen to Brian Heywood of Let’s Go Washington talk about the measures he propelled to the Nov. 3 general election ballot in our state. He spent extra time discussing Initiative 645, the measure that would repeal the state’s so-called “millionaire tax.” In listening, I learned something new about the income tax that will go into effect in 2028, unless repealed. Let’s step back a minute for a quick explanation. The new income tax was esta...
The hypocrisy surrounding state mail-in voting is astounding. While Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is cheering the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Sept. 14 that effectively halted the federal government from accessing and auditing voter rolls prior to the Nov. 3 election, his office has been giving the same information away to a not-for-profit group — the Electronic Registration Information Center — for years. And it’s not just Hobbs; 21 other states and the city of...
ODESSA – Perseverance wins football games. The Odessa Tigers proved that Friday night, Sept. 18, in a come-from-behind win, 46-36, over the visiting Cusick Panthers in the Sausage Bowl. The Tigers trailed the Panthers for most of three quarters of football, but pulled ahead for the first time early in the fourth quarter. "We made a lot of early uncharacteristic mistakes," Coach Kolby Schafer said. "We stuck with it, persevered and finished the game strong in the second h...
SPOKANE -If campaign contributions are any indication of the outcome of a congressional race, Rep. Michael Baumgartner has already secured a win in his re-election bid for the 5th Congressional District seat. According to Federal Election Commission data, Baumgartner, a Spokane Republican, has collected nearly $1.2 million in donations to his campaign. His challenger, Democrat Carmela Conroy of Spokane, has only about a quarter of Baumgartner's financial support. The winner...
Three years ago, voters overwhelmingly signed onto Initiative 2081 to solidify a parent’s access to and oversight of their children’s educational records. The “Parents’ Bill of Rights” was so popular that 454,372 registered voters signed on – about 130,000 more than necessary to put the measure on the ballot. Liberal lawmakers saw the writing on the wall. And rather than let it go to a vote, the Legislature passed the initiative into law in March 2024, then “revised” it 2025.... Full story
MEDICAL LAKE – A pair of Gorilla middle schoolers brought home bronze medals from the Sunday Throwdown wrestling tournament Sunday, Aug. 16. Penny Strite and Otto Medhaug both competed in the late-night folkstyle tournament that took place under the stars on the Medical Lake football field. Mats stretched from endzone to endzone. And under the stadium lights and cool air, condensation made the mats slick. The duo hit the mat after 8:30 p.m. Saturday night and were still w...
COLFAX – If the initial ballot count is any indication, incumbent lawmaker Joe Schmick looks like he’s headed back to Olympia. At the end of the first day of counting in the Aug. 4 primary election, Schmick, R-Colfax, had a 29-point-plus lead over his Democratic challenger Karina Wallace. Schmick received 16,339 votes in his bid to retain Legislative District No. 9 Position No. 2 seat. Wallace trailed with only 8,975 votes. In other words, Schmick scored 64.43% of the vote while Wallace had 33.39%. That’s almost the same... Full story
SPOKANE – It looks like the race for Eastern Washington's congressional seat will be a rematch. At the end of the initial tally of ballots on election day, Aug. 4, Spokane Republican Michael Baumgartner and Democrat Carmela Conroy were well ahead in the 12-candidate field. Baumgartner, the only Republican in the primary, had a whopping 54,205 votes, or 47.97%, district-wide. Conroy was a distant second with 23,536 votes, or 20.83%. Independent Nate Powell, whose financial i... Full story
As an American, you should be able to move about the country freely, without having to show papers and without being tracked by law enforcement agencies without a warrant. You should be able to traverse highways and byways without being monitored by “Big Brother.” But not if you live in Washington state. Here, there at least 2,000 license-plate reading cameras currently in operation – most owned and leased by a single company, Flock. And they’re not just photographing crime-r...
COLFAX – If the initial ballot count is any indication, incumbent lawmaker Joe Schmick looks like he's headed back to Olympia. At the end of the first day of counting in the Aug. 4 primary election, Schmick, R-Colfax, had a 29-point-plus lead over his Democratic challenger Karina Wallace. Schmick received 16,339 votes in his bid to retain Legislative District No. 9 Position No. 2 seat. Wallace trailed with only 8,975 votes. In other words, Schmick scored 64.43% of the vote w...
SPOKANE – It looks like the race for Eastern Washington's congressional seat will be a rematch. At the end of the initial tally of ballots on election day, Aug. 4, Spokane Republican Michael Baumgartner and Democrat Carmela Conroy were well ahead in the 12-candidate field. Baumgartner, the only Republican in the primary, had a whopping 54,205 votes, or 47.97%, district-wide. Conroy was a distant second with 23,536 votes, or 20.83%. Independent Nate Powell, whose financial i...
EDWALL – A woman is being held on $7,500 bail in the Spokane County Jail for allegedly starting a trail fire on South Ben Apple Road. At press time, Georgia K. Williams, 61, was in the Spokane County Jail after being arrested for second-degree arson Wednesday night, July 15. According to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, after being arrested, she said she started the fire in a trailer for "excitement," but then said she didn't know why. Spokane County Fire District No. 3 (...
Around Eastern Washington, Old Glory is proudly flying. Red, white and blue bunting is on display. And fireworks are booming. It's a sign that the Independence Day holiday is quickly approaching. Patriotism here is at peak attention. Indeed, if you're in one of the 20 counties east of the Cascades, you're in one of most patriotic areas of the country. Even the WalletHub website lists Washington as the seventh "most patriotic" state in the nation. I guess the patriotism on our...
SPRAGUE – An Oregon man is facing charges following a high-speed pursuit Monday night, June 29, after crashing his car and being arrested. Eric M. Nelson, 46, of Medford, Ore., is facing driving under the influence, driving while license suspended and felony eluding charges. According to the Washington State Patrol, Nelson was being pursued on eastbound Interstate 90 by police prior to the crash. He took the state Highway 23 exit and turned southbound toward Sprague. Accelerating onto Highway 23, Nelson’s 2021 Toyota CST wen...
COLFAX – Public school students will not be allowed to have a cellphone during the school day if Gov. Bob Ferguson has his way. On Tuesday, June 9, the governor announced his “Away for the Day” proposal which would ban students from using all smart phones and watches, and other smart devices. The measure would apply to all public school students, kindergarten through 12th-grade, from the time the first school bell rings in the morning until after the last bell of the day. “Our kids are missing what’s written on the whiteboar...
It wasn't too many years ago that I would complain about paying an extra 45 cents credit/debit card fee to fill up my gas tank at ARCO convenience stores at the pump. Rather than spend more, I would head to a nearby station to avoid having to pay the fee. It was the principle, not the price. Oh, how I wish it was still that simple today. With the price for a barrel of oil down more than 10% over last month. I was looking forward to filling up my gas tank a little cheaper this... Full story
Lincoln County residents may have to plan extra travel time to reach the greater Spokane area in the coming years. That's because nine roundabouts are being planned on U.S. Highway 2 through the city. Local business and community leaders focused on related issues during a discussion with Congressman Mike Baumgartner on Friday, May 8. West Plains Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Wyss kicked off the program by introducing Rep. Baumgartner, R-Spokane, as well as local business leaders including McKenzie DonTigny, the...
Four years ago, state bureaucrats claimed there was a need to end camping at Palouse Falls because of overcrowding. They promised to add camping at Lyons Ferry, just a few miles away. At the time, they didn't tell the public that it would take at least a decade to add campsites because they had to negotiate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I have to wonder if that shutdown was a trial run for the closures taking place this year with several publicly owned, state-managed... Full story
It’s filing week for political hopefuls here in Washington state. And this year, candidate filing comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that creating voting districts based on race is unconstitutional. That ruling came April 29 in Louisiana v. Callais, a case about creating of a black voting district. If you didn’t know, Washington also has race-based districts created for a similar reason – carving out two Hispanic legislative districts and eliminating at-la... Full story
TACOMA - Four Lincoln County girls qualified to wrestle this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20 and 21, in the state Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome. From Wilbur-Creston, Heather Wyborney will compete at 135 pounds and Carson Kuehne at 170. Both girls won gold medals at the state qualifier on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Liberty High School in Spangle. Autumn Cresse of Sprague, wrestling for Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, qualified at 115 pounds and Grace Woosley of Davenport qualified at 140. Bot...
It’s no surprise left wing lawmakers in Olympia have so far rejected hearings on Initiative IL-26-001. Last year, many of these same lawmakers pulled the old “bait-and-switch” on parents and voters who previously pushed through Initiative 2081, the Parents Bill of Rights. A brief history: Voters met the signature threshold in 2024 to force the Legislature to approve the Parents Bill of Rights or allow a vote on the matter. Rather than allow a vote, they signed it into law. The law reaffirmed the parental rights to revie...
More than two years ago, the Eastmont School District serving East Wenatchee took the lead in trying to protect girls sports from gender-confused boys. Then Kennewick, Moses Lake and other districts joined in. There was enough pressure last year to prompt the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to discuss rules to prevent boys from competing in girls athletics. But WIAA administrators balked; school representatives were only presented a non-binding straw ballot....
POMEROY - A Sprague girl brought home a gold medal from the Christmas Tournament on Monday, Dec. 29. Autumn Cresse, wrestling for Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, captured the title at the 110-115-pound weight class after pinning four opponents. Cresse opened the tournament by pinning Bronco teammate Emiliy Nolan in 3:38. She then pinned Annika Winona of Pomeroy in 1:44, Abigail Lampert of Tekoa-Rosalia in 48 seconds and Izabella Cervantes of River View in 22 seconds to win gold....
Davenport's Faith Bell, Tatum Hupp, and Chloe Hammond with first-team league honors....
YAKIMA - Gorilla volleyball Coach Jill Morrison knew going into the state 2B tournament that it wouldn't be easy with a No. 13 ranking. She was right. Davenport fell, 3-1, to No. 4-ranked Toutle Lake in the opening round of the tournament Wednesday morning, Nov. 12, in the Yakima Valley SunDome. Set scores were 25-20, 25-11, 23-25, 25-16. "We fought hard," Morrison said of her team. "Coming in as a No. 13 seed is really hard when you have the No. 4 seed. It was a little bit...
