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Articles from the August 13, 2020 edition


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  • Commissioner write-in candidates not valid

    Jamie Henneman, The Times|Updated Aug 19, 2020

    DAVENPORT – Two Lincoln County Commissioners are running unopposed for re-election this fall, but each seat had a curious number of “write-in” opponents in the primary election. As of the count on August. 11, the Commissioner 1 seat held by Mark Stedman had 34 write-in candidate votes, or 2.53 percent of the overall total. Stedman pulled 97 percent of the vote with 1,309 votes. The Commissioner 2 seat held by Scott Hutsell had 52 write-in candidate votes, making up for four percent of total votes cast. Hutsell received 95 pe...

  • Combine fire near Almira

    Updated Aug 19, 2020

    A combine fire near Almira on Aug. 10 created clouds of black smoke as the equipment was fully engulfed in flames. The fire burnt 50 acres before being extinguished by area fire crews....

  • Washington State Boating Program reminds public to be safe on the water

    Washington State Parks|Updated Aug 19, 2020

    OLYMPIA – Aug. 11, 2020 – As summer heats up, the Washington State Parks Boating Program urges boaters and paddlers to take important steps to safely and responsibly recreate on the water, including wearing a life jacket at all times. In the last 30 days, 25 recreational boating accidents and five fatalities have occurred across the state. “We are asking all boat and paddlecraft owners and operators to help reduce fatalities and injuries on the water,” said Rob Sendak. “Boaters need to take personal responsibility for their...

  • White sturgeon fishing expands on Lake Roosevelt

    Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife|Updated Aug 19, 2020

    The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced addition harvest opportunities for white sturgeon in Lake Roosevelt upstream of the China Bend Boat Ramp. The department noted that survival of hatchery-produced juvenile sturgeon was much higher than anticipated. As a result, there is a surplus of hatchery-origin sturgeon available for harvest from Lake Roosevelt. The portion of Lake Roosevelt between China Bend and the Canadian border is managed as a spawning sanctuary for white sturgeon. Sturgeon spawning...

  • Fire near Creston

    Updated Aug 18, 2020

    Creston and Lincoln fire crews, along with Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a haystack fire at 22350 Striegel Road East near Creston on Aug 7. There were no injuries but the combustion fire resulted in a total loss. According to university data, high-moisture haystacks and bales can catch on fire because they have chemical reactions that build heat. Hay insulates, so the larger the haystack, the less cooling that occurs to offset the heat. When the hay’s int...

  • Lake Roosevelt campgrounds to remain closed

    Drew Lawson, The Times|Updated Aug 18, 2020

    LINCOLN COUNTY – The Department of the Interior (DOI) has responded to a letter written by Lincoln County Commissioner Rob Coffman concerning public access to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Coffman’s original letter, dated June 15, implored the National Park Service to further open public access to Lake Roosevelt to aide economic recovery for the area. Camping has remained limited at Lake Roosevelt through the summer, as reported in the July 23 issue of The Times. The DOI’s response letter, dated July 20 and signe...

  • Support a legislative special session?

    Jason Mercier, Washington Policy Center|Updated Aug 18, 2020

    California lawmakers addressed their COVID budget situation back in June. Oregon lawmakers are meeting this week in a special session to do the same. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), COVID related special sessions are also scheduled or have already occurred in: CT, ID, IL, KS, LA, MN, MO, NV, NM, SC, TN, UT and VA. Several other states are also reconvening regular sessions this summer. With other states across the country acting to balance...

  • Donald Reinbold

    Updated Aug 18, 2020

    Donald Frederick Reinbold was born on November 5, 1926 to Daniel F. Reinbold and Adelina (Knack) Reinbold and passed away peacefully on August 2, 2020 at the age of 93. He was born and raised north of Davenport known as Egypt country and lived there his whole life before moving to Davenport in 2012 with his wife of 70 years, Nona. They raised their six children there on the farm and had many happy family gatherings at the Ranch house like Apple Cider Fest in the fall,...

  • State penitentiary, Airway Heights inmates grow medicinal plants

    The States|Updated Aug 18, 2020

    WALLA WALLA – A program at the Washington State Penitentary that has expanded to the Airway Heights Correction Center is allowing inmates to grow medicinal and sacred plants on site to help reduce recidivism. The penitentary and Huy, a tribal non-profit corporation, worked together to find a way to bring incarcerated Indigenous people closer to their cultural roots, while providing skills and resources that can be used both inside the facility and in society upon release. Acco...

  • Crime stats show Lincoln County a safe place to live

    Drew Lawson, The Times|Updated Aug 18, 2020

    REARDAN – Lincoln County is a safe place to live, according to local officials, and the Town of Reardan is an example of the county’s low crime rates. “The crime that we deal with 99% of the time is criminal traffic,” Police Chief Andy Manke said. “The number one offense is driving with a suspended license.” Manke added that the corridor Reardan is located in funnels a lot of these cases through town from people coming from Spokane, Ford, Springdale, Davenport and other areas in Lincoln and Stevens counties. “They all come th...

  • WDFW seeks candidates for non-native gamefish and fisheries policy advisory committeee

    Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife|Updated Aug 17, 2020

    OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking nominations for candidates to serve on a new ad-hoc committee that will advise the Department in developing a non-native gamefish and fisheries policy. The Department is looking for diverse applicants who represent the broad scope of interests in gamefish management and native species conservation in Washington state. Ideal candidates will represent one or more of the following interests: • Recreational fishing • Fishing industry • Native species...

  • Good news would make 'Scoop' Jackson happy

    Don C. Brunell|Updated Aug 17, 2020

    That actually happened in the course of the last month. The result would undoubtedly please the legendary U.S. Senator Henry ”Scoop” Jackson (D-WA) – the master problem solver. In March, President Trump signaled he supported legislation that would fund the backlog of National Parks and natural resources maintenance work. The money would come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) which was established in 1964 when Jackson, a prominent Democrat, sponsored legislation...

  • Upswing in direct food purchasing

    Johnathan Hladik, Center for Rural Affairs|Updated Aug 17, 2020

    One of the great benefits of living in a rural community is our ability to enjoy food grown locally. Families appreciate easy access to high quality nutrition. Many farms and ranches depend on these local sales. Like so much of our daily life, this system was disrupted by COVID-19. When work is interrupted at industrial processing facilities, commodity producers flood local meat lockers with their product. With already limited reservation space being taken up by large...

  • Reardan seeks resolution of police dispatch contract

    Drew Lawson, The Times|Updated Aug 17, 2020

    REARDAN – Dispatch contract between the police department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has been an ongoing topic of discussion in town, and it was among the main topics of consideration at the Aug 6 town council meeting. The jail expenditure portion of the contract has been its only topic of debate, as previously reported in the July 23 issue of The Times. Police chief Andy Manke informed council that the police department recently received a $611 bill for a DUI...

  • Almira fire contained to 50 acres

    Odessa Record|Updated Aug 17, 2020

    ALMIRA - An Aug. 10 wheat fire burned 50 acres near the intersection of Williams and Old Coulee roads, resulting in the total loss of a combine. Three fire districts - Lincoln County No. 8 from Almira, Lincoln County No. 7 from Wilbur and Grant County No. 6 from Hartline, as well as a plane from Greg's Crop Care, responded to the incident. Almira Fire Chief Dennis Pilar said actions taken by the farmer helped get the fire quickly under control. "There was a concern that the...

  • Christian Heritage to start Aug. 31

    Jamie Henneman, The Times|Updated Aug 14, 2020

    EDWALL – The Christian Heritage School in Edwall is planning to begin the 2020-21 school year, with in-person classes that include students wearing masks and 6 foot social distancing between desks. The private school will start seventh-12th grade students Aug. 31 with the first- through sixth-grade students starting Sept. 3. The school schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Kindergarten is Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The school that participates in the Mountain Christian sports league will not be o...

  • EWU, union agree to faculty salary concessions

    John McCallum, Managing Editor|Updated Aug 14, 2020

    CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s Board of Trustee’s approved a memorandum of understanding with the United Faculty of Eastern (UFE) that would stave off declaration of a severe financial crisis. All of the trustee’s voted for the memorandum with the exception of Trustee Uriel Iniguez, who voted no. The agreement includes financial concessions from the union, including a one-year, 6-percent reduction in salary, a tenure buyout and relinquishment plan and a voluntary retirement and separation incentive. The university a...

  • Reardan schools start Sept. 1

    The Times|Updated Aug 14, 2020

    The Reardan-Edwall School District’s first day of school will be September 1 pending approval from the board. Previous plans indicated that school would start August 26, but that week is now reserved for staff in-service days (August 24-25) and waiver days (August 26-27). The district will continue to offer three learning options: onsite, remote and online....

  • Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Newport linked to onions

    The Times|Updated Aug 14, 2020

    OLYMPIA – Washington state health officials are working with local, state and federal partners to investigate a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections linked to onions sold by Thomson International Inc. A total of 640 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport have been reported from 43 states. Washington is currently reporting 25 cases, including residents of King (10), Benton (1), Spokane (1), Asotin (1), Snohomish (2), Garfield (1), Kitsap (1), Lewis (1), Mason (1), San Juan (1), T...

  • Davenport schools opt for "phased start"

    Jamie Henneman, The Times|Updated Aug 14, 2020

    DAVENPORT – Students attending the Davenport School District later this month will have a “phased start” that breaks the school day into two parts. Some students will attend during a morning session of 8:00am to 10:30 and others will attend in the afternoon from 12:15 to 2:45pm. Students will be taught in groups of 10 with one adult and groups will not commingle. The split schedule will be for Monday to Thursday with Fridays being a distance learning day. Mandatory Coronavirus precautions mean students must wear masks and s...