Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Kelly Jean Knapp was born in Odessa, Wash. on Jan. 27, 1971. She passed away in Spokane, Wash., on Sept. 11, 2020. Kelly graduated from Harrington High School in 1989. She later received degrees from Spokane Community College in culinary arts and hotel management. Kelly was widely known for her artistic expertise decorating beautiful cakes for all occasions. She later became a licensed care giver for the elderly and was deeply loved by all those who came to know her....
About 800 miles south of my office, the leaders of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Calif., are no doubt having conversations about how to move forward. The church, which was mandated to close and remain closed earlier this year due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Santa Clara county’s decrees, chose not to comply. After moving ahead with what they believed was the mission of the church, they are now faced with more than $52,000 in fines from various g...
OLYMPIA – With salmon spawning season in full swing at many state hatcheries, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reminds the public that hatchery facilities remain closed statewide due to the continued spread of COVID-19. Many people visit hatcheries in late summer and early fall to observe spawning activity, or to take advantage of available parking to fish nearby for returning salm on. However, WDFW hatcheries remain closed at this time to ensure the health and safety of hatchery employees, and v...
SPOKANE – In response to inquiries about the wildfires in its region over Labor Day weekend, electric company Avista has released the initial findings from its investigations. Avista’s investigation has determined that the primary cause of the fires in its region was extreme high winds, a weather event that triggered wildfires and affected electric utilities throughout the Pacific Northwest. To date, the Company has not found any evidence that the fires were caused by any deficiencies in its equipment, maintenance act...
INCIDENT LOG Editor’s note: Most items in this section reflect the starting point for response by local police and emergency agencies. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office does not release names of individuals who report possible criminal or suspicious activities to dispatchers or alleged victims for this column. SEPTEMBER 13 Number of traffic stops: 16 Call to remove a dead deer from the highway. Suspicious vehicle report. Report of illegal fireworks. Illegal burn reported. Car vs. deer collision reported on Highway 231. SEP...
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...
LINCOLN COUNTY – Physical education and is important for students. It provides a chance to not only develop physical fitness, but has been shown to be beneficial for mental and emotional needs as well. However, when social gatherings are discouraged and even prohibited based on COVID-19 virus guidelines, getting those students the physical activity they need looks a little different. At Reardan Middle-High School, athletic director and P.E. teacher Eric Nikkola has faced the challenges of virtual learning and air quality p...
LINCOLN COUNTY – The family of a Lincoln County man who died after an accident with a semi in 2017 is suing Lincoln County and Wilbur Emergency Medical Services, claiming the man died due to negligent response. Trenton Edward Frye was involved in a vehicle collision on Aug. 11, 2017 that ejected Frye from his vehicle, but pinned his left shoulder under his car. Both the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Wilbur Fire/EMS responded to the accident and extracted Frye from under the vehicle so he could be taken via a Life Fli...
REARDAN – A crowd of around 50 people gathered at the Mann family ranch off Highway 231 north of town Friday, Sept. 18 for a dedication of a historical marker recognizing Medal of Honor recipient and Reardan native Joe Mann. Mann died at 22 after jumping on a grenade to protect his comrades in World War II. The event began with a welcome message by Rae Anna Victor of the Jonas Babcock chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A presentation of colors by the F...
Lincoln County Commissioner Rob Coffman recently presented a “Standards of Good Practice” certificate to Lincoln County Public Works Director Rick Becker. The certificate from the state County Roads Administration Board was gained by ensuring that roads within the county allowed for the “safe and efficient movement of people and goods over county roads.” Lincoln County also had to meet standards of engineering, design procedures, maintenance and other professional qualifi...
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...
What happens in China, doesn’t always stay in China. We learned that a couple of years ago when the Chinese stopped buying massive volumes of the world’s used paper, plastics and textiles; and, again last March when the coronavirus escaped Wuhan and spread across the planet. Like other nations, China is struggling with the deadly COVID-19 virus and suffocating under mountains of trash its residents generate each day. Wuhan hospitals generated six times as much medical was...
OLYMPIA – The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) released an updated process on necessary steps to potentially return to organized competition in the fall, the organization announced in a press release Sept. 19. The press release detailed five requirements needed to return to athletic competition: • Gov. Jay Inslee must recommend a return to play. • The Department of Health must provide guidance regarding required health steps to take before commencing athletics. • Risk management teams must review the r...
REARDAN – The Town of Reardan recently approved an updated fire and emergency services contract with Fire District No. 4 at its Sept. 17 meeting. Mayor Gail Daniels signed the contract at the meeting. Fire commissioners Carol Paul, Casey Nonnemacher and John Bennett were expected to sign it shortly after press time at their commissioner’s meeting. The contract, officially called the “Fire and Emergency Medical Protection Agreement,” goes into effect Oct. 1 and ends Dec. 31, 2022. If a written notice of termination isn’t p...
DAVENPORT – The City of Davenport and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract for law enforcement services. The contract language is set to be reviewed by the city council at their Sept. 23 meeting. As a result of months of discussion, the city will contract with the sheriff’s office for law enforcement services including response to calls, dispatch and jail services. The new contract includes provisions to improve communication between the entities. Other contr...
DAVENPORT – The Davenport School District has begun to offer half-day classes for all students due to a drop in Covid numbers that lower the risk factor in the county. According to Davenport Superintendent Jim Kowalkowski, the school district moved from a “orange” to “yellow” risk level on Sept. 22. “Due to the lower Covid-19 positive rates during the last two weeks, we will be offering school from 8am to noon for all students, Monday through Thursday,” Kowalkowski related. The change to half-days increases the school day by...
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reopening all recreation lands east of the Cascades to recreation beginning Friday, Sept. 18. Eastside recreation was initially closed on Sept. 8 due to critical wildfire danger. While fire danger overall has decreased slightly, it is extremely important to stay diligent when it comes to fire safety. “We are optimistic the weather will continue to cooperate, allowing us to reopen eastside recreation areas closed due to extreme wildfire danger and the risk...
