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POMEROY–The Garfield County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) rendered its decision on the CUP moratorium, discussed planning commission applications and historic preservation at the meeting on Sept. 9. The moratorium on Conditional Use Permit applications of alternative energy projects and telecommunication facilities will be maintained as-is for a term of six months. "Our intention is not to eliminate these projects," Commissioner Jim Nelson said. "We just want to do it right, especially l...
POMEROY–Pack up grandma and grandpa and the whole family and head to the Garfield County Fairgrounds for 2024's "Sunflower Daze" September 13-15. There will be new exhibits at the Eastern Washington Agricultural Museum in addition to the many great exhibits, music, games, food vendors and other attractions. The conditions ought to be favorable as Friday's high temperature is anticipated to be 72° F. and partly cloudy, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday the high will be in the mi...
PENDLETON-The last large fire closure area on the Umatilla National Forest was lifted September 7. After a very active 2024 fire season suppressing the fires, the Pomeroy Ranger District is facing a long fire recovery period. The fire closure enabled crews the chance to provide some road repair, hazardous tree removal, post public safety signs and initial assessment of damage to the district. All of this work aimed to reduce the number of hazards that were the result of the Cougar Creek fire....
PENDLETON—The lighting that occurred Sunday night has led to 11 new fires over the past 48 hours throughout Umatilla National Forest. The largest is Trout Two at seven acres, which is located 24 miles east of Ukiah on the North Fork John Day Ranger District. Firefighters have active suppression efforts happening on all the new starts, according to the U.S.F.S. as of Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Forest personnel will continue scouting for potential new smoke reports. More smoke reports are expected throughout the next few days as more thundersto...
POMEROY–An assessment is being conducted on the W.T. Wooten Wildlife area to determine the effects of infrastructure on the Tucannon River. The assessment will consider the effects on the river’s health, effects on endangered fish populations, opportunities to maintain or enhance recreational opportunities, and possible lake improvements. The assessment is covering the floodplain areas of the Wildlife Area, including the Tucannon River, lakes, campgrounds, and associated facilities. This survey, being led by the Washington Department of Fis...
By Roger Harnack Ritzville-Adams County Journal RITZVILLE–Ninth Legislative District Senator Mark Schoesler was released on his own recognizance Saturday, August 31, after being arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and hitting another vehicle, twice. Schoesler, 67, of Ritzville, was arrested by citation for driving while under the influence of alcohol following the Saturday night performance of the Ritzville Rodeo. Schoesler's blood-alcohol level was 0.14 at the time of his a...
SPOKANE–The AgWest Farm Credit Board of Directors has selected Bill Perry to serve as the next President and CEO of AgWest Farm Credit, which serves customer-members in a seven-state Farm Credit territory in the West, headquartered in Spokane, Wash. Perry, now serving as AgWest's Chief Lending Officer, will follow current President and CEO Mark Littlefield and will assume CEO responsibilities on Jan. 1, 2025, following a planned transition period. The CEO transition has been an integral part o...
POMEROY–The Denny Ashby Library summer reading challenge "Adventure Begins at Your Library concluded in August with many finishers. Winners received cash and prizes donated by Meyers Hardware, Friends of the Library, and Mason's Evening Star Lodge, No. 30. "Participants in the Bingo Challenge read a variety of books and turned in bingo cards documenting titles read," said Lillian Heytvelt. "The Friends of the Library drew the winning names at their August meeting." The winners this year are H...
COLUMBIA COUNTY–Yellow Star Thistle is an invasive species and, according to the Washington State Noxious Weed Board, invades millions of acres of rangeland where it can cause damage to grazing animals. Yellow starthistle is a biennial plant that goes that grows 18-36 inches with a deep taproot, winged stems and covered in white woolly hairs. The rosette is yellow in color and are in a star-like arrangement. The plant is most likely on disturbed ground and found in grassland, wooded areas, a...
By Charlotte Baker PULLMAN–Pomeroy’s Distinguished Young Women (DYW) scholarship program representative Isabella Field participated in the YDW of Washington contest on August 3. She secured a $600 scholarship during the week-long event. Field, the daughter of Jayci and Chris Field of Pomeroy, competed with seven other area high school seniors for a chance to represent Washington State in Mobile, Ala. During the “Barbie” themed event, she played a piano piece, “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi for her talent, participated in several int...
By Charlotte Baker POMEROY–The Garfield County Fair "Sunflower Daze" is September 13-15 at the Garfield County Fairgrounds and will feature many great shows and attractions including new exhibits at the Eastern Washington Agricultural Museum. Preliminary entry arrivals begin Thursday with livestock weigh-in, ending the day with the 4-H Horse Show. Kids are encouraged to entry a project for a chance for "Special Awards Just for KIDS!" Other features anyone might like to enter is Canning and P...
POMEROY––The Garfield County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) discussed emails received from a Garfield County class action group, as well as the planning commission at their meeting on August 26. The county has received emails from a class action group in Garfield County, expressing concern over transparency and public information regarding the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. Commissioner Jim Nelson stated that an active investigation is being taken by an outside agency at the board's req...
OLYMPIA - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission met virtually on July 19 to discuss several carnivore topics including proposed changes to cougar hunting seasons and the state listing status of gray wolves. First, the Commission delegated a rule making petition to establish a spring black bear depredation permit season to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) director. The director will review the merits of the petition and decide whether to accept the petition to initiate...
OLYMPIA–The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) offers in-person and hybrid courses for prospective hunters to utilize when completing mandatory hunter education courses. WDFW offers fully in-person hunter education courses as well as hybrid courses that combine online and in-person learning. The in-person course, consisting of roughly 15 hours of instruction, is taught over multiple days and includes a field portion. This course is highly recommended for students seeking a valuabl...
OLYMPIA–The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will be deploying body-worn cameras to all 152 commissioned law enforcement officers beginning in September. The program aims to boost accountability, transparency, and safety in natural resource law enforcement. The body-worn camera program is being implemented next month, following a comprehensive review and trial period, during which feedback from officers and stakeholders was incorporated to ensure that the technology meets the needs of the agency and the community. “This program...
POMEROY––A state-mandated hand recount of ballots from the August 6 Primary Election revealed that the machine tabulation matched the hand count in Garfield County ballots cast in the Commissioner of Public Lands race for second-highest vote getter. The Secretary of State ordered the recount when just 51 votes separated Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson and Democrat Dave Upthegrove. There were 33 batches of approximately 25 ballots each counted by the Auditor's Office. A few were smaller than 25...
POMEROY–A new poultry pen was built at the at the Garfield County Fairgrounds poultry barn by Emilee Blickenstaff, a member of the Feathered Friends 4-H Club. Blickenstaff gave a presentation of her 4-H project on replacing the poultry pen at the Garfield County Fairgrounds to the group on Aug. 22. According to Blickenstaff, she chose her project because "the old one needed to be replaced and I knew my dad would be able to help me build it." Materials for the project were sponsored by Clay a...
POMEROY–The Granny Caravan is coming to the City Park on August 28 from 4-6 p.m. Come meet with Roz Luther and Shirley Grossman for meaningful conversation about politics, initiatives, policies, and the upcoming general election. They are extending an invitation to every person here because they are worried about the polarization of our society. They want to change the trajectory and bridge that gap. Two Spokane octogenarians Grossman and Luther, "are on their remarkable journey to bridge c...
Washington Policy Center is challenging the legality of the ban on natural gas brought forth by the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC). SBCC failed to properly calculate how much small businesses will be harmed in complying with these new regulations. The State Regulatory Fairness Act (RFA) says that the impact on small businesses must be considered with all rule changes. The Washington Policy Center requested the Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee (JARRC) to review these regulations and hold the Code Council accountable...
PENDLETON, Ore.–The Umatilla National Forest officials returned to Phase B Public Use Restrictions on Monday, August 26, due to reduced fire danger, the potential for human-caused fires, and concern for public safety. The restrictions pertain to the use of campfires, smoking, chainsaws, internal combustion engines, and generators. Beginning August 26, 2024, campfires will ONLY be allowed in designated campgrounds and recreation sites. Liquefied or bottled gas stoves and heaters are allowed f...
POMEROY–Terrilie Cox will be posthumously recognized as the 2024 Hall of Fame Honoree at the Chamber Cowboy Breakfast for her many years of service to the Garfield County Fair. She passed away May 19, 2024, at the age of 72. Terrilie Cox moved to Pomeroy, from Spokane, in 1974 with her husband Bill Cox and two children Andi and Josh. She was by Bill's side when he began his farming career and they started their own Hereford cattle herd and brand, CX Ranch. Her Garfield County Fair experience b...
POMEROY–The Garfield County Hospital District Commissioners (GCHD) discussed an update to the electrical project, approved a letter of support to the City of Pomeroy, and passed two resolutions at their meeting on Aug 5. The electrical project has progressed to renovating wiring inside the hospital building and a transformer has been placed in readiness for the arrival of the switch. The project is on track for its expected completion in Jan 2025. The CGHD voted to draft and send a letter to t...
POMEROY––The Cougar Creek Fire, located in the Umatilla National Forest primarily in Asotin County and north of the Washington-Oregon border, has topped 24,000 acres since it began July 15 of unknown origin. Suppression efforts have been fruitful as crews on the fire begin demobilization activities. Containment is estimated at 80% as of the Washington Department of Natural Resources incident report on August 19. There are 226 fire personnel on the job, working toward full suppression with fou...
By Mary Flerchinger POMEROY–The Fine Arts Department at the Garfield County Fair is featuring the water color and acrylic paintings of Carol Wildman. In showcasing Wildman, the late long-time area artist, Garfield County Fair Fine Arts Department Superintendent Mary Flerchinger is seeking art pieces by Wildman from local individuals. If anyone has a piece done by Wildman and you would like to have it in the show, please give it to her daughter Gretchen, or to Larry Koller, or bring it to Mary F...
By Lisa Naylor Special to the Dayton Chronicle LYONS FERRY–The eleventh annual SWIM the SNAKE event, an open water swim and paddling event, was successfully held last Saturday at Lyons Ferry State Park and Lyons Ferry Marina in Lake Bryan, Snake River. The event, sponsored by the Blue Mountain Resource Conservation & Development Council, is a fund-raiser for area youth competitive summer swim teams and the regional non-profit. The event started in 2013. New participants this year were Carol N...