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...
MEDICAL LAKE - Authorities responded to a fire burning grass, brush and light timber north of state Highway 902, east of Bartholomew Road, at 12:32 p.m. today. The 100-plus-acre fire is burning northeast of the city and on Fairchild Air Force Base. Several homes and other buildings on the northeast side of the fire and off Bartholomew Road are threatened, but none are believed to have burned, a state Department of Natural Resources spokesman said. Level 3 evacuation notices...
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...
LINCOLN COUNTY – The Department of the Interior (DOI) has responded to a letter written by Lincoln County Commissioner Rob Coffman concerning public access to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Coffman’s original letter, dated June 15, implored the National Park Service to further open public access to Lake Roosevelt to aide economic recovery for the area. Camping has remained limited at Lake Roosevelt through the summer, as reported in the July 23 issue of The Times. The DOI’s response letter, dated July 20 and signe...
REARDAN – Lincoln County is a safe place to live, according to local officials, and the Town of Reardan is an example of the county’s low crime rates. “The crime that we deal with 99% of the time is criminal traffic,” Police Chief Andy Manke said. “The number one offense is driving with a suspended license.” Manke added that the corridor Reardan is located in funnels a lot of these cases through town from people coming from Spokane, Ford, Springdale, Davenport and other areas in Lincoln and Stevens counties. “They all come th...
REARDAN – Dispatch contract between the police department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has been an ongoing topic of discussion in town, and it was among the main topics of consideration at the Aug 6 town council meeting. The jail expenditure portion of the contract has been its only topic of debate, as previously reported in the July 23 issue of The Times. Police chief Andy Manke informed council that the police department recently received a $611 bill for a DUI...
MEDICAL LAKE — Local students will be starting the school year mostly online learning model, School District Superintendent Tim Ames announced today, Aug. 7. The decision followed state and regional health recommendations for “high-risk” counties where more than 75 new coronavirus cases have been reported in a 14-day period. “Our school board and administrative team have the obligation to follow the strong recommendations from the health experts,” Ames said in a video posted to the district’s website. “Though it is not the...
OGDEN, Utah — A conference football season in which Big Sky powers Montana, Montana State and Weber State were slated to visit Eastern Washington University's newly-turfed Roos Field will have to wait until 2021. Big Sky athletic directors moved an eight-game conference schedule to next spring, according to a release from EWU athletics. The Big Sky President's Council then approved the decision this morning, Aug. 7. Nonconference games are still "under review," per the release...
REARDAN – The school district held a town hall July 30 to discuss the three options they will offer for students in the 2020-21 school year…assuming state health guidelines don’t get in the way. Families will choose between in-person, online and remote models. The in-person model will be four days a week, with Fridays designated for remote learning. This model is subject to change as health rules shift, and superintendent Eric Sobotta said the Friday remote learning day is a way to “practice” remote learning in case rest...
LINCOLN COUNTY – The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the economy statewide, but Lincoln County hasn’t been hit as hard as most other counties. The Employment Security Department (ESD)’s monthly report shows that Lincoln County’s unemployment rate decreased from 9.9 percent in May to 6.7 percent in June. Unemployment went down statewide in the same time span, from 15.1 percent to 9.7 percent. The recorded total of those unemployed in Lincoln County was 293 in June, a decrease from 447 in May. The only counties with a...
REARDAN – The Inland NW Rail Museum re-opened June 12 when Lincoln County entered Phase 3 of the state re-opening plan, and its volunteer-only staff is ready to welcome tourists and train lovers alike. Face coverings and physical distancing are required for visitors of the museum, which hasn’t been an issue thus far, according to museum head volunteer Dale Swant. “We’ve only had one person who wouldn’t wear a mask,” Swant said. Located just west of downtown Reardan rig...
RENTON—It may sound weird to say, but “Friday Night Lights” won’t be taking place until March this year. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced a new, tentative schedule which includes four sports seasons for the 2020-21 season due to Corona virus restrictions. The four seasons are classified numerically: Season 1, 2, 3 and 4. Most notably, football, volleyball and girls soccer were all moved to Season 3, which begins at the end of winter....
GRAND COULEE — In the height of the summer camping season, many campers are frustrated to find campsites on the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area are limited or closed due to COVID-19. A complete reopening of the campsites administered by the National Parks Service that administers the campgrounds does not seem to be on the horizon. There are 17 developed campsites on Lake Roosevelt, but only four are open. The Spring Canyon, Fort Spokane, Kettle Falls and Keller F...
REARDAN — Police Chief Andy Manke was expecting to enjoy the local firework show on July 4. Instead, he ended up making a felony arrest that got him recognition from the Secret Service. Manke observed Stephen A. Dalin, 34, driving a white 1995 Geo Metro eastbound with expired license plates, according to the arrest report. “The back window was broken out,” Manke said. “A $3,000 mountain bike in the hatchback that just looked out of place, and the tabs were expired in March....
REARDAN – Under a proposed contract change, the Town of Reardan may end up paying substantially higher jail fees to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, a cost that Reardan Police Chief Andy Manke said isn’t feasible for the town of 623. While the town has its own police force, it contracts with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for jail and dispatch services. The contract between the town and the county is currently under negotiation and set to renew in January. Under t...
MOSES LAKE — Two candidates-Eduardo Castaneda-Diaz (D) and John Malan (Classical Democrat)-are running to unseat three-time incumbent Tom Dent for state representative Pos. 1 in District 13. District 13 represents a mostly rural and agricultural area that includes portions of Lincoln, Kittitas, Yakima and Grant counties. Ballots are expected to be mailed the week of July 17 for the primary election on August 4. The top two vote-getters from the primaries will advance to November’s general election. Incumbent Dent focuses on...
REARDAN-Eric Sobotta wasn't expecting to have to deal with nationwide school shutdowns amidst a global pandemic when he was named the new superintendent of the Reardan-Edwall School District in March. But since starting his new gig on July 1, he's had to learn on the fly while figuring out a safe re-opening process for the 2020-21 school year. "It's been a whirlwind," Sobotta said. Originally from Cheney, Sobotta started teaching in Tenino and Stanwood, WA before starting an...
DAVENPORT — Lincoln County farmers with sons who play football will have a bit more help available in preparing for harvest in August. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced Tuesday, July 7 that the start of fall sports practices will be delayed to Sept. 5 for football and Labor Day, Sept. 7 for all other fall sports. “The (Executive) Board will continue to work with staff, member schools and state agencies to monitor the impact of COVID-19,” the WIAA said in a release. Because teams are requi...
DAVENPORT — Families who were already struggling to pay rent haven’t been dealt any favors with the COVID-19 pandemic effectively shutting down much of the economy. Rent assistance, affordable housing and shelter needs have all risen in Lincoln County in 2020. Rural Resources in Lincoln County said they have seen an uptick in community need for housing and housing assistance. Rural Resources Housing Case Manager Alita Crosby said Rural Resources has received two grants during the pandemic to further assist these people wit...
DAVENPORT — Lincoln County farmers with sons who play football will have a bit more help available in preparing for harvest in August. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced Tuesday, July 7, that the start of fall sports practices will be delayed to Sept. 5 for football and Labor Day, Sept. 7 for all other fall sports. “The (Executive) Board will continue to work with staff, member schools and state agencies to monitor the impact of COVID-19,” the WIAA said in a release. Because teams are requi...
DAVENPORT – Uncertainty continues to surround athletics and extracurricular activities for the 2020-21 school year in Washington. In the Davenport school district, parents of children who are active participants in sports are hoping for those sports to be back to normal next school year. Davenport High School football defensive coordinator John Douse, whose son plays football, basketball and baseball, said the coaching staff has heard that if Lincoln County isn’t in Phase 4 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s coronavirus-related state...
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE-Col. Cassius T. Bentley became the new commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing during a change of command ceremony at Fairchild Air Force Base Wednesday (July 1) morning. He takes over for outgoing commander Col. Derek Salmi, who will be "assigned to the joint staff at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.," according to a press release from the 92nd. Salmi was commander of the 92nd for the allotted two years. Bentley takes over at Fairchild after a stint...
REARDAN – On July 4, three-time war veteran Harry Grennay will be recognized with an air show flyover at the Reardan softball field from 5-6 p.m. The flyover itself is expected around 5:30 p.m. For safety measures, guests are being asked to remain in their cars. The event recognizes Grennay’s extended and varied service as a member of the U.S. Air Force. Over 70 years ago, Reardan resident Harry Grennay was receiving training on how to fly planes in the Pacific theater dur...
Lincoln County farmers with sons who play football will have a bit more help available in preparing for harvest in August. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced Tuesday, July 7 that the start of fall sports practices will be delayed to Sept. 5 for football and Labor Day, Sept. 7 for all other fall sports. "The (Executive) Board will continue to work with staff, member schools and state agencies to monitor the impact of COVID-19," the WIAA said...
HARRINGTON – Harrington seniors Nik Clarke, Casey Lee and Mya Erickson got an in-person graduation after all this year. It was just a little different than a "normal" graduation, as could be expected with the pandemic. The ceremony, held in the school gymnasium on Thursday evening, required that each guest wear a mask and be socially distant from one another in hopes of complying with Washington's Phase Three re-opening guidelines, which Lincoln County is currently in. Each g...
