Looking Back at 2022

The East Washingtonian continues its look back at the year 2022 with this second installment of the events, activities and other newsworthy happenings that appeared in the pages of your community newspaper.

May 5: Garfield County Commissioners approved a sales tax ballot entry. The proposed tax approved for the August ballot, to be approved or rejected by Garfield County voters, is two tenths of 1% on sales, the funds accruing from which will be used exclusively for emergency communications equipment. The projected revenue expected averages $105,321.13 a year.

Over the past three years, the Pomeroy Partners for Healthy Families have brought members of the community together to discuss the status of youth and their families in Pomeroy. The outcome of this, the fourth forum, will help to determine how best to serve the community's needs. This year, members of the Pomeroy Partners will present results of a statewide Washington Healthy Youth survey outlining how it pertains to Garfield County.

May 12: Hospital swing bed reinterpretation brings out Pomeroy citizens to rally; Citizens here came together in a rally to show their support of keeping Garfield County Memorial Hospital residents in the hospital on May 5. Dozens of locals stood in the rain on the corner of 6th and Main streets, holding signs reading 'Why does Grandma have to leave?' and 'Keep them in their home'. At issue is the interpretation of a clause in the legal rules about whether or not swing beds can be permanent. While no laws have changed, a reinterpretation of the clause could require long-term care residents of the hospital to find a new location to call home. The GCHD's co-CEO Matt Slaybaugh expressed the desire to communicate the district's interpretation and position.

The Garfield County Transportation Authority voted to create full time bus driver positions and discussed the design of a proposed new building. Two positions of full-time bus drivers will be opened, each for 35 hours a week. The additional time can be used to provide at least one more day available to take shoppers over to Lewiston and Clarkston. RPW Structural Engineering has been hired to create the design for the building the CTA will share with Garfield County Public Works. The building will be on the property where the current Public Works office is located.

May 19: The Pomeroy City Council granted a conditional use permit to Shelby and Delores Matheny after a public hearing, with no dissenting opinions raised, which allows the Matheny's to use a 2,000 square foot area of city property on 17th Street. The permit was granted after the City and the Matheny's signed an agreement detailing the conditions, which include the responsibility for noxious weed control, a mutual hold-harmless agreement, and the permission to build non-permanent structures.

Pomeroy Gun Club members Tracy Hanger, Larry Bunch, Holly Ledgerwood, Robert Koller and Jack Miller, Jr. attended the Washington State Shoot at Walla Walla Gun Club. During this event, the Club's senior most shooter and two of its female shooters were the stars of the shoot for Pomeroy. In the Preliminary Singles on Thursday Larry Bunch posted a 96x100 in singles and Holly Ledgerwood posed a 93 which was High in the Lady II competition. Buck Geiger posted an 89. In the preliminary Handicap Geiger had the top score for Pomeroy with an 87. In Doubles Geiger had a 90 and Bunch posted an 88.

May 26: The Holy Rosary Church Faith Formation children raised $3,220 for the Ukraine Solidarity Fund which help war refugees with personal needs. Children in Connie Harris and Bob Wolf's class created posters appealing for money from the church parishioners. The class collected $1,610 in two weeks and the local Knights of Columbus Charity matched this money with $1,610 for a total of $3,220. This total amount raised is being sent to the Ukraine Solidarity Fund to provide temporary shelter, food, clothing, medical supplies, communications and religious supplies. These items will be immediately distributed and one hundred percent of the money will go directly to the refugees.

The local Chamber of Commerce is playing "catch up" and will celebrate the winners of the 2020 and 2021 Hometown Heroes Community Awards in June. To celebrate two years of awards, the Chamber will recognize winners through a series of open houses beginning at the Bank of Eastern Washington. The 2020 Award Recipients are: Citizen of the Year is Mat Slaybaugh; Lifetime Achievement goes to Dave and Nancy Ruark; Business of the year is presented to the Bank of Eastern Washington. 2021 Award Recipients are: Citizen of the Year is Ashley Dixon; Lifetime Achievement goes to Muriel Bott; Business of the Year is presented to the Mall on Main.

June 2: School directors accepted the resignation of Amy Miller as Pomeroy Jr/Sr High School principal and Hannah Heitstuman as an elementary paraprofessional, effective at the end of the school year. The Pomeroy Elementary School projected instructional plan includes 11 classrooms: one Transitional Kindergarten, two kindergartens, one First Grade, one First and Second Combination, one Second Grade, one Third Grade, one Fourth Grade, two Fifth Grades and one Sixth grade. Principal Miller shared the High School's 2022-23 school improvement goals: incorporating English Language Arts lessons, implementing Social Emotional Learning, and staff self-care.

Pomeroy Partners for Healthy Families hosted its fourth annual Pomeroy Youth and Family Forum at the Pataha Flour Mill, featuring the data walk activity, a presentation of Pomeroy School District results of the 2021 Healthy Youth Survey, graphs and descriptions of result data were set up and the community invited to hear a presentation on each one. Boards included the topics of substance abuse, community involvement, mental health, and hope.

June 9: The FFA Scholarship and Awards banquet recognized the year's achievements and installed new FFA Chapter officers for the coming year. A potluck dinner was well attended. State FFA Degrees were awarded at the state convention to Kendall Dixon, Trevin Kimble, Trent Gwinn, Colton Slaybaugh, Keegan Gerking, Nayley Larios, Keely Maves, and Troy Steele.

The BOCC opened bids for the barley hay crop currently growing at the Garfield County Fairgrounds. The winning bid was $175 a ton from Bill Cox. The USDA sent a letter to the BOCC announcing that the Southeast Washington Resource Advisory Committee is seeking members. The committee makes recommendations on land management projects involving water sheds, roads, and facilities on or adjacent to the Umatilla National Forest, as well as overall forest health.

June 16: Pioneer Days and Tumbleweed Festival enjoyed good food, good music, some sunshine and laughter. The family of Sealy Blachly, who settled on the north fork of the Deadman in 1877, were the Honored Pioneers at the 110th Garfield County Pioneer Day Program. Included in the program was a history of the town of Ilia given by Dotty Van Vogt and Diane Koller. Ilia was situated on the Snake River and shipped grain from Garfield County farmers. The original site of the town now lies under water behind the Little Goose Dam.

The City Council pledged $4,000 for the Pomeroy Chamber of Commerce signage project, accepted an interim wastewater treatment plant employee proposal, and discussed maintenance of city road easements. The Pomeroy Chamber of Commerce signage project is now fully funded with the $4,000 promised by the City. The project will cost $20,000, with $10,000 of the funds coming from the Chamber, $5,000 from SEWEDA, and the remaining $1,000 from Garfield County.

June 23: The Three Forks Indian Trails sign now makes its home in front of the Garfield County Museum on Columbia Street. A crew of three placed it carefully on the east side of the entrance to the building, in view of passersby and visitors. Four local men, Terry John, Mark Ledgerwood, Scott Laughery and Gary Cole, moved the saved historic land mark into place where it will spark interest in museum visitors of a treasured Trails. The original Three Forks Indian Trails sign put up by Historian Bob Beale. The one remembered and refurbished by Gary Cole was positioned near the Lewis Clark campsite on Highway 12, six miles toward Lewiston, mile 49.5 at Mayview Road.

Eric Hood of Langley, Wash., an individual with and extensive history of legally exploiting the Open Public Records Act in Washington State by filing public records requests and subsequently suing governmental agencies for alleged non-compliance, has filed a request for public records from Garfield County, the East Washingtonian has learned. Hood carbon copied the East Washingtonian on his correspondence with Garfield County Auditors McKenzie Lueck and Prosecuting Attorney Matt Newberg. Hood made a request from Lueck by email on May 27, 2022, for all records pertaining to the recent state audit.

June 30: The USDA Agricultural Research Service reports the poison-hemlock, found across the United States, is an invasive toxic plant to grazing animals and extremely poisonous to humans. This year, there has been abundant amount of moisture in Garfield County area the Northwest, and it is observable to see healthy patches of poison hemlock here is pastures and along roadsides, in unused corrals, skirting wheat fields, and vacant lots. Poison hemlock is an early spring crop that grows in pastures, along creek and river banks and grows 6-9 feet in height.

Bicycle Rides Northwest, a nonprofit bike tour organization, brought hundreds of bikers to spend the night in tents set up on the Lybecker Field gridiron, and BRNW set up 'camp central' in the Pomeroy City Park. Their crew set up a bike repair tent, first aid station, portable showers and restrooms, a snack bar and food trucks, and a phone charging station. The tour began in Walla Walla and traveled back to Walla Walla on June 24 to complete the loop, with an optional ride on June 25. Each day's travel averaged 57 miles, and the entire trip traveled 400 miles.