The Ritzville Adams County Journal Archives (2024)
Mayor Cook hosts coffee talk session
Katie Teachout, The Journal|Updated Jan 4, 2021
RITZVILLE – An hour-long “Coffee with the Mayor” ran over two hours with lively discussion when Mayor Gary Cook hosted the roundtable event Feb. 26 as an opportunity to update citizens on city business and offer residents a chance to voice their concerns. “It’s important to me for people to have a say in city business,” said Cook, who started the monthly event in January. “I’m hoping that Dennis (Chamberlain) or whomever will be in my role, will continue this, to give accessibility to the city,” he said. Cook previously a...
Wild horse inmate study approved by house
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated May 25, 2020
OLYMPIA — Convicts working in a “Gentling Program” to help calm wild horses? That’s what Washington Ninth District Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy would like to see. Dye, whose Ninth District includes Adams County, introduced House Bill 2579, which unanimously passed the House of Representatives last Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate. The bill would establish a study to be executed by the state Department of Corrections to evaluate and report on the feasibility of implementing wild horse training at the Coyote Ridge Correct...
ADA ramps coming to Ritzville
Katie Teachout, The Journal|Updated Mar 4, 2020
RITZVILLE – The city will be putting in 20 handicap-accessible ramps along Main Street this summer. Mayor Gary Cook said the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, which cost about $5,000 each, are being paid for by Transportation Improvement Board funds. “As a rule, our portion of it is 5-10%,” Cook said. “We maintain a six-year, TIB [Transportation Improvement Board] plan, and each year we take the No. 1 priority and apply to the state for funding. We’ll do the ramps this summer, and next year pave the road with...
City looks at 'quiet zone' options
Katie Teachout, The Journal|Updated Mar 4, 2020
RITZVILLE – The city is looking into options for a proposed “quiet zone” addressing the noise of trains going through town. The city has hired consultant Guz Garza, who will perform a three-day study this month to map out the decibels of the sound of the trains in different areas of the city. “He’s a consultant with experience with the light rail in Seattle,” Mayor Gary Cook said. “We will discuss alternatives available, and be moving forward on this immediately.” Cook said with Ritzville being a Tree City, funding may be...
Ritzville mayor to step down
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 27, 2020
RITZVILLE - Less than a half -year into his second term, Mayor Gary Cook has decided to resign. His last day will be March 31. Mayor Pro Tem pore Dennis Chamberlain will assume mayoral duties on a temporary basis beginning April 1. Under city statutes, the council will then have 90 days to assign someone to finish out the first two years of the term. Then, in 2021, a new mayor will be elected to serve the final two years. This will allow a new four-year term to start in 2023...
LIND --- Code enforcement continues to come up at Lind Town Council meetings. The council has taken the last several weeks to review town ordinances 11-01 and 11-02, which deal with what role a code enforcement officer would play. Councillor Jim Dworshak said he’d like discussions to progress so that the council could start to take action at the next meeting on Feb. 25.. “I do not think that things as we are doing them now are effective at this point,” Dworshak said. “We need to carry it further to start eliminating distrac...
Area judge in center of 'Red Flag' case
Roger Harnack, The Journal|Updated Feb 27, 2020
COLVILLE — An Adams County Superior Court judge has found himself amidst a legal battle over so-called “red flag” laws that may be headed to the state Supreme Court. Judge Steve B. Dixon presided over a hearing, as a visiting judge in the Stevens County Courthouse, earlier this month before siding with the State Attorney General’s Office in a lawsuit brought against the state over a law that went into effect last July. Under the law, mental health counselors can direct law enforcement to remove firearms from the home of a pa...
Teachout takes seat as Journal editor
The Journal|Updated Feb 27, 2020
RITZVILLE - Katie Teachout has been named editor of The Ritzville Adams County Journal. Teachout, 58, replaces Brandon Cline, who recently resigned to return to his childhood home west of Goldendale to work as a reporter at the Chinook Observer. "Katie will be a fantastic addition and leader at The Journal," Publisher Roger Harnack said. "Her experience will be key to improving the coverage of news, events and people of Ritzville and Adams County." "I came here from the...
Highway 24 intersection to close for irrigation work
Roger Harnack, Publisher|Updated Feb 20, 2020
OTHELLO -- The state Department of Transportation is closing the state Highway 24-Bench Road intersection this weekend for irrigation upgrades. The closure will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, officials said, noting it is expected to reopen no later than Monday. The closure will be around-the-clock until work is completed, officials said. During the closure, a contractor will be working on an irrigation line passing under the intersection, officials said, noting the length of the closure depends on what work crews...
Uniquely Washington going out of business
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 20, 2020
RITZVILLE - Seven months after moving across Main Street into a newly remodeled Snyder Block Building, Uniquely Washington is shutting its doors. Owners Dennis and Mary Chamberlain made the announcement last week on Facebook. "We have heavy hearts about this, but, we will continue to support our town and business district," Dennis said on Facebook. He told The Journal more about the decision and upcoming closure. "Making the decision was hard on Mary and me," Dennis said....
News Briefs
The Journal|Updated Feb 20, 2020
Mayor hosts java chat RITZVILLE — Have a cup of coffee and discuss city issues with the mayor. Coffee With the Mayor will take place from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Uniquely Washington, 116 W. Main St. “I’m hoping this gives you a one on one opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues important to you,” Mayor Gary Cook said. “I’m buying the first 10 cups of coffee.” Model train on display RITZVILLE — A model Amtrak train will be on display at the Depot Museum from 1-3 p.m. Saturday. The train is a model of the ty...
OTHELLO — A local man was booked into the Adams County Jail in Ritzville after leading deputies on a high-speed chase early Sunday. Uriel Romero-Gonzalez, 34, was arrested for attempting to elude a police officer and resisting arrest, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office reported. The incident began just after 4 a.m. when deputies attempted a traffic stop on a white BMW near the 900 block of South Broadway Avenue, an internet post said. The driver, later identified as Romero-Gonzalez, didn’t stop and deputies activated their...
Lind tarmac gets facelift
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 20, 2020
LIND — The Mid-Columbia Ninety-NInes, a group of women pilots in Washington and Oregon, want to paint the word “LIND” on the tarmac of the local airport. At its most recent meeting, the Town Council gave the group its conditional permission to do so. The Mid-Columbia Ninety-Nines is a chapter of the Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, an organization commonly referred to as The 99s. Aileen Coverdell of the local 99s spoke at the Feb. 11 Town Council meeting. “One of the activities we do is airmarking air...
School levies passing area-wide
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 20, 2020
RITZVILLE — All four levies asked for by the Lind-Ritzville School co-op are being approved by voters in the special election Feb.11. The co-op asked for two levies in Lind and two in Ritzville, including a replacement levy for each district. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Superintendent Don Vanderholm reached out to The Journal. “On behalf of both school boards, staff, and administration, I want to thank you very much for your generous support in passing the levy proposals put before you on Feb. 11,” Vanderholm said. “Beca...
FBLA brings home awards
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 20, 2020
RITZVILLE - Twenty-eight members of the Lind-Ritzville Future Business Leaders of America team traveled to Spokane Valley for the winter regional conference earlier this month and returned with 25 trophies. The conference was attended by 13 schools and 433 students. Adviser Steve Greenwalt said he was pleased with the effort he saw from his students. "Students have worked really hard on these events and have prepared very well for them," Greenwalt said. Students who finished...
Police Profile Series: Sgt. Mark Cameron
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 19, 2020
RITZVILLE - In the past two editions of the Police Profile Series, we met officers who served in law enforcement in the military before becoming police officers. Today, we meet a third. But Sergeant Mark Cameron's story is a little different. Cameron served in the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2006. Unlike Ritzville police officer Matt Carlson, who joined the military to help him become a police officer later on, Cameron wasn't thinking about a civilian police job yet. Instead,...
Quiet zone meeting gets heated
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 14, 2020
By Jeremy Burnham The Journal RITZVILLE - Every seat was filled and some residents stood as more than 30 people squeezed into City Hall for a public meeting on turning the city into a train quiet zone last Thursday. The meeting was called for by Mayor Gary Cook, who said the purpose was to give everyone a chance to be heard. "It gave me the opportunity to let people have their say," Cook told The Journal after the meeting. Cook said he hoped the meeting would allow people to...
Bill would end advisory votes
Roger Harnack, The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
OLYMPIA — Four Western Washington senators apparently don’t want to hear what voters think of tax and fee increases approved by the Legislature. They are co-sponsoring a bill to do away with public advisory votes, also known as straw ballots. Under Senate Bill 6610 — co-sponsored by Sens. Patricia Kuderer of Bellevue, Sam Hunt of Olympia, Jamie Pederson of Seattle and Claire Wilson of Federal Way, all Democrats — advisory votes would be eliminated. The bill would create a task force to study how best to gather public opinion...
LRS students sell Hershey Kiss Roses for Valentine's Day
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
RITZVILLE - Lind-Ritzville High School students in Andy Williams' floral design class are creating roses made out of Hershey Kiss candies for an FFA fundraiser. Annika Holland, Iris Arrez, Madison Vlaske, Grace Fedie and Rosa Alfaro are the five students creating the gifts that blend flowers with candy. "We try to do arrangements for the different holidays across the seasons," Williams said. "We did Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Valentine's just kind of made sense....
Police Profile Series: Ritzville's Matt Carlson
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
RITZVILLE - Matt Carlson grew up here. But if you told him he'd be back working as a police officer, even he may be surprised, not about being a police officer though. He knew he was going to be in law enforcement since he was a teenager, but he never imagined it would be in his hometown. In fact, Carlson knows the moment he made the decision. "I was 16 and I went on a ride along with the Washington State Patrol here in Ritzville," Carlson said. "It made me want to be a...
Area girls make All-State band
The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
WASHTUCNA — Two local students have been selected for all-state music groups. High school senior Calby Van Hollebeke will play oboe in the All-State Wind Symphony. Meanwhile, fifth-grader Natahlia Rundquist was chosen for the Washington All-State Youth Honors Chorus. Both groups will perform in Yakima this weekend as part of the Washington Music Educators Association’s Honor Group Concert Series. Rundquist and the youth chorus will perform and the Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Capitol Theater at 4:30 p.m. Van Hollebeke and the...
Verizon outage hampers 911 service across region
John McCallum, Cheney Free Press|Updated Feb 12, 2020
SPOKANE — Eastern Washington Verizon cellular customers were left without the possibility of calling 911 on Monday night, Feb. 10, due to a fiber issue that interrupted service. Service was eventually restored after a couple hours. According to the website Downdetector.com there were more than 2,600 reports of outages, with a map showing Eastern Washington and North Idaho being hit the hardest. Outages were also shown between Wenatchee and Yakima, the Puget Sound area centered on Seattle, north to Everett and south to T...
State seeks rail comments
The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
OLYMPIA — The deadline to comment on the 2019 Washington State Rail Plan has been extended until Tuesday, Feb. 18. Comments can be made online or via mail, state Department of Transportation officials said, noting new webpages offer background and details on the plan. Drop down menus on the state rail plan can be found on the Transportation website, www.wsdot.wa.gov. The agency prepares a new rail plan every five years on the future of freight and passenger rail service in the state. The plan includes information on rail p...
Ground breaking set for wind farm
Jeremy Burnham, The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
LIND — Work is set to start in March on the Rattlesnake Flat wind farm. The project is being developed by Clearway Energy Group. Project development director Nick Benjamin said recently that mobilization will begin around March 1, with trucks arriving before March 5. Rattlesnake Flat is a 16.45 megawatt wind project to be constructed near Phillips Road. Blattner Energy will build the project. It’s the third that Blattner is building for Clearway, Benjamin said. Avista and Clearway have agreed to a deal that will see Avi...
Free Press purchases Odessa Record
The Journal|Updated Feb 12, 2020
ODESSA — The Odessa Record is now part of the Free Press Publishing family. Terrie Schmidt-Crosby, the previous owner since June of 2008, is staying on as editor of the publication. Linda Goodman will remain the newspaper’s advertising representative. Together, they join the Free Press Publishing group’s other publications, The Ritzville Adams County Journal, the Cheney Free Press, Davenport Times, Fairchild Extra, Spokane Valley News Herald and West Plains Extra. The terms of the newspaper transaction were not made publi...
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