Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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REARDAN – A basketball coach for the Reardan School District will not be returning in the coming year, following an investigation that he made inappropriate race-based comments to a student. Coach Damon Dewey was investigated by the school district after a player’s parents made a complaint about Dewey on Feb. 15. In response, athletic director Eric Nikkola conducted an investigation that found Dewey “more likely than not” violated the civil rights of a mixed-race player on the girl’s basketball team. The player’s name was no...
ODESSA – A drive to do some “drifting” at a gravel pit near Odessa has racked up 10 days in jail for a young man who stopped to break some windows in a loader parked at the pit. Benjamin Melgren, 19, accepted a plea deal in Lincoln County Superior Court on Aug. 18 on a charge of second degree malicious mischief. Melgren told Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputies that he had been out with a friend to do some “drifting” at the gravel pit south of Odessa on March 2 when he got out of the vehicle and threw some rocks at a loader pa...
HARRINGTON – The City of Harrington has been allocated funds through the federal CARES Act. These funds must be used to cover expenses connected to the impacts of the COVID-19 emergency. Harrington’s City Council has voted to use the funds to support local businesses that have been negatively affected by the health emergency or by the state’s response to the emergency. The Lincoln County EDC will be facilitating the grant process on behalf of the City Council. Applications can be found at LincolnEDC.org/COVID-19or are avail...
LINCOLN COUNTY – Last week the Washington Secretary of State certified the primary election, announcing the 2020 voter turnout rate was the highest on record for a Primary since 1964 when over 840,000 people voted, representing a 56.06% turnout. This year more than 2.51 million people or 54.44% of all registered voters in Washington cast their ballots. “It’s gratifying to see that voters are excited, engaged, and eager to exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard,” said Assistant Secretary of State Mark Ne...
EDWALL – Whether its deciding which pastures to graze, what animals to cull or when to calve out, Stokrose Farm cow manager Aaron Golladay said the focus is the same: improving performance. “When raising Angus, we are looking to bring back function and balance,” Golladay said. “The popularity of Angus as a whole has really grown, but some breeders have focused on what grows the fastest and have forgotten about the soundness of things like feet and legs.” Golladay is the cow m...
REARDAN – A proposed increase to the cost of jail services that the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office provides to the Town of Reardan has some officials frustrated, arguing the city can’t afford the increase. Police chief Andy Manke shared with town council at their Aug. 20 meeting that the county didn’t seem to be willing to budge on a $63 per day cost to the town for inmates arrested by the police department and housed in the Lincoln County jail. The town has been charged a maximum of $200 per inmate at $100 per day, but not...
REARDAN – World War II Medal of Honor and Reardan native Joe Mann is considered a national hero in Netherlands, a war hero in the United States and has a hospital named after him in Spokane. Now the Mann Ranch just north of Reardan is being recognized as a historical marker. The historical marker was campaigned for by the Jonas Babcock chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and the Mann family. Mann, private first class, posthumously received the Medal of Honor in 1...
HARRINGTON – When traveling through the wheat fields near Harrington, a rolled down window can bring in the scent of ripe wheat, tilled dirt and perhaps, for just a moment, the smell of roasting coffee. Located on Oestreich Road, Roam Coffee Roasters is providing the residents of Harrington, as well as visitors to the area, a venue for fresh roasted coffee. The business owned by the Quigley family started in 2019 and provides a variety of roasted coffees through its w...
VALLEY – Travelers who use State Route 231 between the town of Valley (MP 71.9) and the junction at US 395 (MP 75.15) are encouraged find alternate routes. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 SR 231 will fully close to the traveling public for crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation to repair damage to the roadway. The roadway has had a single lane restriction north of the town of Valley since Jan. 27, 2020, due to the roadway sinking away from the hillside. Crews installed two signals on either side of t...
Pressman Mark Cordes helped run the press for the last time today, assisting in printing the Davenport Times, Odessa Record and Wilbur Register. Cordes is leaving Free Press Publishing after 14 years with the company and will begin working at a cabinet shop just outside Cheney....
OLYMPIA – Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind has authorized the incremental removal of wolves from the Leadpoint pack in northeast Washington in response to repeated depredations of cattle. The Leadpoint pack has been involved in 11 depredation events since June 19, 2020. This is despite the use of proactive non-lethal deterrents by area livestock producers. Those deterrents include: • Calving away from areas occupied by wolves, • Choos...
LINCOLN COUNTY – Dogs and cats and goats, oh my. The Lincoln County WA Lost and Found Pet Network has garnered reports of all kinds of pets missing or wandering the county in its six years of existence, and the nonprofit aims to reunite those animals with their owners. The volunteer-run Pet Network was founded in 2014 by Jana Johansson. Board president Gina Habbestad and board member Barbara Grant run a Facebook page to network about lost and found animals, often posting p...
DAVENPORT – Four properties within the City of Davenport are being fined for not keeping their weeds under control, an issue that city officials say is creating a fire hazard. At the Davenport City Council meeting on August 12, the council approved passing fines against four properties that allowed their weeds to grow “over 12 inches in height.” Property owners were notified by the city fire chief earlier in the year, but the issue was not addressed, according to the council. The property owners will be charged for the city...
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking comments on proposed alternatives for 2021-23 hunting seasons. The comment period runs from Aug. 17 to Sept. 15. The public can learn more from WDFW’s website, attending live webinars, and - a new option that the department is testing for the first time – by text message. “This process is how we attempt to understand the type of hunting experience our hunters want, and we need your feedback to help us determine the path forward,” said Anis Aoude, WDFW...
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...
EDWALL – A fast-moving fire burned about 40 acres of wheat and sagebrush shortly before lunchtime Wednesday, Aug. 19. The fire on Waukon Road, northwest of the Tyler Road intersection was contained by 12:10 p.m., the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office reported. Fire crews from Edwall, Reardan and Sprague all responded to the blaze, as did Spokane Fire District No. 2 crews based in Cheney. Farmers, too, jumped on the fire line, using their water trucks to help contain the blaze b...
OLYMPIA — The U.S. Postal Service’s capacity to meet the increased service demand during mail-in elections this fall have been cause for concern given President Trump’s recent remarks about the lack of additional funding for the agency. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, the state’s chief elections officer, says despite concerns nationwide, Washington voters should rest assured that ballot delivery and return services should continue without significant delay or interruption this fall. “In our decades-long experienc...
SPRAGUE – A Sprague woman has taken a plea deal on charges she used the funds in the account of a dead woman to buy groceries and make purchases on Amazon. Shirley Dee Sauer, 57, submitted an Alford plea in Lincoln County Superior Court on Aug. 11 on a charge of first degree identity theft, theft from a vulnerable adult and second degree theft. The Alford plea allows the accused to accept the plea deal without admitting guilt, but with the recognition that a jury may determine a guilty verdict based on the evidence a...
OLYMPIA – In recognition of the National Park System’s 104th birthday, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is offering free entrance to state parks on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Day-use visitors will not need a Discover Pass to visit state parks by vehicle. While Washington State Parks and the National Park Service are different entities, the two agencies share a rich tradition of stewarding the lands they manage. Many state parks are located within an hour’s drive of Washington’s national parks, monuments and histori...
HARRINGTON – The Harrington School district is planning to start the 2020/21 school year with half day classes for all grades on Sept. 1. Superintendent Wayne Massie said the tentative schedule will be 8:20am to noon. Students who attend school must either have their temperature taken daily at school or attend with a verification from a parent that their temperature was checked at home. According to the school’s reopening plan, students must also wear masks both at school and on the school bus. Students will be assigned to...
OLYMPIA – Due to the continuous dry, hot weather, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today more changes in campfire restrictions and industrial fire precaution levels (IFPL) on DNR-protected lands. Beginning July 28, a statewide burn ban was enacted by Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz that remains in effect through Sept. 30. Effective Friday, August 14, 2020: • Campfires in campgrounds are not allowed in Highlands and Methow Fire Danger Rating Areas. • IFPL will increase to Level...
DAVENPORT – A marijuana grow operation that had run afoul with state and county regulators has made changes to their operation and is now in compliance, according to Lincoln County officials. Complaints from neighbors about the smells coming from the Happy Trailz marijuana farm on Sterritt Road had alerted the Lincoln County Commissioners earlier this summer that the farm was growing in excess of their state license. The grow operation had expanded well beyond their 10,000 square feet of grow space when Lincoln County o...
PULLMAN — Police Chief Gary Jenkins has authorized officers to ticket individuals who refuse to wear a mask while coronavirus orders from Gov. Jay Inslee remain in effect. In a press release Wednesday, Aug. 19, on the decision to allow enforcement of mask mandates, Jenkins said his officers “stand between those who are law-abiding and those whose actions risk the health and safety of others.” “Violators of the governor’s proclamations not only put the violator’s health at risk, but the health of our entire community,...
CHENEY — A series of small wildfires has grown into a 200-acre-plus blaze near Badger Lake about 15 miles south of Cheney. The fires began around 5:04 p.m. Sunday evening under hot, dry conditions, and are burning in grassy areas dotted with stands of ponderosa pine. According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, about 50-70 homes are threatened. Initially, Level 2 "be prepared to leave" evacuation orders were enacted but state Department of Natural Resources s...
CLARKSTON-A 25-acre fire that had been contained has now spread across about 1,000 acres after overnight winds picked up. As of this morning, Monday August 17, the fire was zero percent contained. The original fire started off a motor home that caught fire on Wawawai Road, across the Snake River from Chief Timothy Park, about 4 p.m. Aug. 16. Whitman County Fire District 14 responded as did Asotin County and Clarkston. The Chief Timothy Fire had been contained and then a thunder cell entered the area and winds picked up,...
