Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday that he’ll drop the statewide coronavirus-mask mandate March 21. Inslee said that’s the day when he believes it’ll be safe to remove mask mandates and not overwhelm hospitals. “It would not be safe to do this today,” he said. “We will be removing the mask mandate in our schools and public indoor spaces as of Monday, March 21.” Students may still be required to wear masks on buses. The governor added that he will not end his emergency proclamation at that time, declining to offer a date...
Palouse Falls has long been one of my favorite places to hike. Over the years, I’ve hiked the mile or so trek to the top of the main falls on numerous occasions. I’ve hiked it by myself, with friends and even my daughter when she was very young. I’ve meandered along the Palouse River to the upper falls and descended the basalt rim to the pool at the base of the falls about 189 feet below. For those of us who grew up in Eastern Washington, hiking Palouse Falls trails has long...
SPOKANE VALLEY – Reardan wrestlers brought home three silver medals from the Tri-County Classic on Dec. 23 at Central Valley. Vaea LaMoureaux took silver in the girls 120-pound class as teammates Preston Neufeld at 106 and J.C. Merriott at 113 both took second in the boys division. LaMoureaux opened the tournament by pinning Sydney Sisk of Colfax in 2:17 and then Alyxandra Daniel of Rogers (Spokane) in 34 seconds. In the finals, she lost by a 7-2 decision to Kelsey Louen of M...
Merry Christmas! There. I said it. Not happy holidays, but Merry Christmas. It’s Christmas time here and around the world. Throughout our region, families are shopping for festive meals and gifts, decorating, and anxiously awaiting the moment they see “long-lost” family and friends. It’s a time where children and adults express wishes, not just for gifts from Santa Claus, but also for happiness and prosperity for friends, family, and sometimes even mankind. And while Christm...
OLYMPIA – A Ritzville lawmaker has pre-filed a bill that would require the state to study the private long-term care market before implementing a new tax set to begin Jan. 1. Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, introduced Senate Bill 5503 to create a committee to study financial opportunities that could replace the long-term care tax that will be taken out of the paychecks of anyone working in Washington state after the first of the year. “It’s time for the Legislature to creat...
REARDAN – Four seconds. That's what was left on the clock when the Reardan boys pulled ahead of the Tekoa-Rosalia Timberwolves in a basketball matchup Friday night, Dec. 3. Reardan won the non-league game, 64-62, in the closing seconds. The Class 1B Timberwolves (1-1) led the entire second half, until Reardan junior forward Tristo McCrea ducked under the defense for a 2-point shot inside the key with just 4.2 seconds remaining in the game. That shot lifted Reardan to its f...
Under the guise of water conservation, the state Department of Ecology is once again moving to take water rights from farmers, ranchers and other private holders. Last month, the agency announced plans to fund creation of local “water banks,” in addition to the state “water bank” already in existence. The agency says the program helps municipalities buy water rights from private owners. It has set $14 million aside for the program. The goal, agency spokesman Jimmy Norris...
OLYMPIA – The state Supreme Court on Friday, Dec. 3, declined to redraw new legislative and congressional maps. The decision follows an attempt by the Redistricting Commission to reapportion the state in the wake of the 2020 Census. And it means that the maps previously submitted by the commission will likely be the establishing documents for new legislative and congressional districts. If the maps are retained, Lincoln County, including the towns/cities of Odessa, Davenport,...
The last 20 months have been exceedingly difficult for most Americans. Across the country there have been coronavirus mandates, riots, increasing taxes, job losses and more. The crime rate in many areas is skyrocketing. Many stores have empty shelves. And mental health problems are out of control. The stress we feel is exacerbated by television news and social media. But rather than dwell on the negatives we are bombarded with daily, take this week to focus on the positives....
The last week has not been good for small businesses in our part of the state. The U.S. Postal Service began slowing “snail mail” services. Stores were ordered to stop using plastic bags and required to make their paying customers pay for a paper bag. And the state announced the minimum wage would jump to $14.49 per hour Jan. 1. If you don’t own or manage a business, this may seem overly dramatic. Who cares if it takes an extra day for your mail to arrive, right? It’s only 8...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee this afternoon extended his coronavirus-related eviction moratorium through Oct. 31. Calling the moratorium a “bridge,” Inslee said his action will allow municipalities to put in place financial assistance programs for those who haven’t paid their rent or mortgages during the 18 months of his orders related to the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Money is available, he said, adding: “We think this extension provides ample times for these funds to get out to citizens.” In early August, the...
ST. JOHN – Several thousand race fans turned out Saturday for the second installment of Sprint Boat racing at Webb’s Slough. The fastest time was posted by the No. 69 boat, Overkill, piloted by Dennis Hughes and navigated by his daughter, Samantha Hughes, both of Greenacres. Sprint boat racing pits a driver and navigator against a maze of channels and the clock. At speeds reaching more than 80 mph, the driver concentrates on making turns as the navigator memorizes the cou...
Davenport junior Brenick Soliday looks past Dayton-Waitsburg strong safety Monte Pettichord toward the goal line in last Saturday’s jamboree in Ritzville....
ODESSA - It's going to be a banner year for District 7 NE 1B football teams, if preseason rankings by ScorebookLive.com hold up. In the Class 1B (eight-man) football rankings released last week, three of the teams hail from the NE 1B League. The Odessa Tigers earned the No. 1 ranking, followed by Almira-Coulee/Hartline Warriors in the No. 2 spot. ScorebookLive also ranked the Wilbur-Creston Wildcats in the No. 9 spot. The top-ranked Tigers were undefeated in the abbreviated...
LAMONT - A local man was named in June as a board member for the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. Dave Swannack replaced Randy Suess as Whitman County president and on the board, the association reported last week. Swannack was one of two new appointees to the board - the other is Leif Claassen of Asotin County. "It's important farmers get involved (in industry organizations) because we are going to lose everything we farm for if we don't get involved," Swannack said....
Parents of public school students in the 9th Legislative district have had enough of coronavirus-related mandates from Olympia. Shutter schools, curtail sports, wear masks, limit field trips and restrict access to graduation. Those actions have not been embraced here. And neither has Gov. Jay Inslee’s renewed call for all public school students to remain masked for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Area parents are pushing back. This week, led by a group from Fairfield, many p...
ODESSA — Candidate Alberto Reyes racked up nearly double that of his opponents combined Tuesday, Aug. 3, in the initial count of the primary election. Reyes receivd 140 votes, or 65.73%, in the first day of counting. Candidate Amanda Wallace was a distant second with 50 votes, or 23.47%, early count results showed. Ryan Frick was third with 21 votes, or 9.86%. Only the Top 2 candidates advance to the Nov. 2 general election. Lincoln County was reporting it had received 1,834 ballots, or 22.68%. The county has 8,085 r...
RITZVILLE - One incumbent candidate is leading and another trailing in two separate races for city leadership positions in the Aug. 3 primary election. In the race for mayor, incumbent Linda Kadlec had a commanding lead over challengers Glen R. Stockwell and Dennis R. Chamberlain. Kadlec had 234 votes, or 57.35%, at the end of the initial tally Tuesday night. Chamberlain was second with 97 votes, or 23.77% and Stockwell third with 72 votes, or 17.65%. In the city council race, incumbent Mark Weigand isn't fairing as well,...
CHENEY – A Colville man was named All-Around Cowboy after taking home the most money from the three-day Cheney Rodeo. Travis James Eller, took home $2,058 after competing in tie-down roping and team roping, according to Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standings. A total $46,760 purse was paid to top Cheney Rodeo competitors. In team roping, he and partner Brett Hale of Tenino tied for third-place with 7.8 seconds for their Saturday night ride. Eller also took fourth i...
One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday, 6,793 last Tuesday and another 602 last Wednesday. Other utilities, too, had brownouts. I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington. Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of electricity in the entire United States. Our dams provide power to much of...
BASIN CITY - Thousands of rodeo fans turned out Friday and Saturday, June 25 and 26, to watch the second Freedom Rodeo. Temperatures neared 100 degrees at performance time Friday night and topped 105 at the start of Saturday's rodeo. To keep cool, several fans put on canopies on the rim of the arena, while at least one family brought a toddler wading pool and filled it with water. The event got underway Friday morning with slack competition and a vendor area, compete with...
This Sunday, our nation celebrates Independence Day. And on this 245th birthday of our United States, it’s important to take time to remember why we mark July 4. Sure we celebrate the holiday with barbecues and fireworks, parades and apple pie. But that’s not what it is about. Independence Day is about freedom from tyranny. It’s about being able to own property, speak your mind, worship how you want, gather together, be protected from government corruption and overreach and, when necessary, defend yourself not just from...
SPOKANE – It's going to be a record-setting day, in terms of high temperatures that is. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Laurie Nisbet in Spokane, the region should set all-time record high temperatures this afternoon. Nisbet this morning went through decades of weather data for several small towns within the Free Press Publishing readership area from Spokane to Pasco and Odessa to Colfax. In Colfax, today's recorded record high is 100 degrees, set in 1...
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new eviction “bridge” program this morning, June 24, but landlords will not likely see rent payments any time soon. Inslee said the existing coronavirus-related eviction moratorium will expire June 30. However, under his new mandate, landlords are still generally prohibited from evicting tenants that owe past-due rent and even future rent, if a tenant has attempted to negotiate a lower rate or is seeking rental assistance money. That money will be available through county agencies once...
There’s a lot of talk about endangered species. But the most important endangered species in America, may not be a plant or a wild animal. The most endangered species may actually be in your home, a friend’s home or next door. The endangered species I’m talking about is the American Dad. This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, the one day set aside each year to honor the American Dad. Honoring and thanking the fathers in your life should be your highest priority this weekend...
