Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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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...
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...
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...
DAVENPORT – Two Lincoln County Commissioners are running unopposed for re-election this fall, but each seat had a curious number of “write-in” opponents in the primary election. As of the count on August. 11, the Commissioner 1 seat held by Mark Stedman had 34 write-in candidate votes, or 2.53 percent of the overall total. Stedman pulled 97 percent of the vote with 1,309 votes. The Commissioner 2 seat held by Scott Hutsell had 52 write-in candidate votes, making up for four percent of total votes cast. Hutsell received 95 pe...
EDWALL – The Christian Heritage School in Edwall is planning to begin the 2020-21 school year, with in-person classes that include students wearing masks and 6 foot social distancing between desks. The private school will start seventh-12th grade students Aug. 31 with the first- through sixth-grade students starting Sept. 3. The school schedule is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Kindergarten is Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The school that participates in the Mountain Christian sports league will not be o...
DAVENPORT – Students attending the Davenport School District later this month will have a “phased start” that breaks the school day into two parts. Some students will attend during a morning session of 8:00am to 10:30 and others will attend in the afternoon from 12:15 to 2:45pm. Students will be taught in groups of 10 with one adult and groups will not commingle. The split schedule will be for Monday to Thursday with Fridays being a distance learning day. Mandatory Coronavirus precautions mean students must wear masks and s...
Beginning on August 1, the Davenport Clinic will no longer be offering same-day office visits on Saturdays. The hospital district cited low utilization and challenges staffing the shortened Saturday clinic hours as reasons for the closure. Same-day appointments continue to be available to patients Monday through Friday. “We started the Saturday clinics many years ago to help aid patients who found themselves ill over the weekend, but not feeling they were sick enough to need the emergency room,” said Jennifer Larmer, Chief Cl...
LINCOLN COUNTY – Lincoln County has paid nearly $5,000 in Covid leave pay during the month of July for employees that either had the COVID-19 illness or took time off to care for relatives affected by the virus. According to the Lincoln County Auditor’s office, $763 was paid out to one employee who had Covid and $4,201 to three employees who either had to care for a relative with Covid or had to take time off for childcare related to Covid closures. The Covid leave is separate from an employee’s earned sick leave and is no...
Driving a combine all day through ripe, golden wheat gives a person time to think. For Almira area farmgirl Alison Viebrock-Steveson, it also gives her time to take amazing photos. Viebrock-Steveson shares her life as a wheat farmer though her social media page, Blessed Farmgirl, and regularly posts “photos, videos and stats about wheat farming along with other ag information for readers. She said she hopes the content will provide education for those who may not know much abo...
HARRINGTON – In a July 29 budget meeting, School Board members faced the reality of their budget projections for the next four years. The district that serves just over 100 students in one building was considering a shortfall of $284,000 for the coming year due to declining student enrollment and increased costs. Budget projections for the coming school year estimate 112 students will return to school, with 19 of those students having special needs. These enrollment numbers are down from last year’s enrollment of 125 students...
DAVENPORT – Construction of the new Davenport healthcare clinic is continuing to make progress this summer after being stalled briefly in March due to Covid. Construction re-started in April and is “coming along nicely”, according to Lincoln Hospital Chief Executive Officer Tyson Lacy. “The building is coming along nicely and is tracking for an on-time completion,” said Lacy. “We should be moved into the new clinic by summer of 2021.” The new clinic will be attached to the hos...
DAVENPORT – In the wake of the coronavirus and new state requirements to begin teaching “inclusive” sex ed to students as early as kindergarten, it’s shaping up to be a banner year for homeschooling. Last week, the Washington Homeschool Organization reported new parental interest in personally managing their children’s education had quadrupled. The reasons are varied, according to Director Jen Garrison Stuber. “Traditionally, homeschool families opt out of public education due to religious concerns and a desire to focus on...
DAVENPORT – The number of primary election ballots in Lincoln County are slowly trickling in as the Aug. 4 deadline approaches. Lincoln County Auditor Shelly Johnston said 1,416 ballots were received as of Monday or around 18 percent of the total. A total of 7,671 ballots were mailed out the third week of July. Johnston said this level of return is common, as people often wait until “the last shoe drops.” However, Johnston noted Lincoln County is usually in the top five counties with high percentages of returns. Johns...
The Davenport airport is scheduled for an expansive remodel next summer, when funds from the Federal Aviation Administration will fund the construction of a new runway. The runway location will be shifted on the property owned by the City of Davenport, making room for either a light industrial park or the construction of more airport hangars, according to Davenport City Administrator Steve Goemmel. “By shifting the location of the runway, we will have room for additional hangars or room for some light industrial buildings t...
The Davenport School Board approved the adoption of a new online based curriculum called “K-12” in order to prepare for any disruptions that may occur due to potential COVID-19 shutdowns. The curriculum is designed to allow teachers to use the same curriculum for in-person classes as well as distance learning. If school is shut down again due to Covid, the curriculum will allow teachers to seamlessly transition between in-person classes and virtual learning. “This is not a replacement for in-person teaching but it is going...
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...
DAVENPORT--In working to respond to resident complaints about smells coming from a marijuana farm outside of Davenport, officials from Lincoln County discovered something that “blew them away.” At the Happy Trailz marijuana farm on Sterritt Road, Lincoln County Commissioner Rob Coffman said he was “completely blown away” by the level of production. “There were over 30 greenhouses full of plants when the business only has a permit for a small, indoor grow operation...
DAVENPORT--The Lincoln County Commissioners are starting to collect bids for improvement projects at the county fairgrounds that they hope will make the short list for legislative funding in 2021. Several of the fairground buildings are showing their age and need torn down or fixed, said Lincoln County Commissioner Scott Hutsell. "Some of our buildings are really showing their age and we would like to make improvements to the fairgrounds so it can be multi-use," Hutsell said. "We are collecting bids on the various projects...
DAVENPORT — The Lincoln County Superior Court is planning to resume their in-person jury trial schedule next week, but with restrictions to the public due to COVID-19. The public and press will only be allowed to view the jury trials if they are willing to submit to multiple temperature checks and wear a mask or a face shield. No virtual or remote option to view the trial will be available. Members of the public who are called for jury duty will also be required to submit to the temperature taking and the face masks. N...
WENATCHEE — Since February, Washingtonians have experienced a dizzying set of mandates and orders related to the Covid 19 virus from the governor’s office. From business shutdowns to stay at home orders and mandating masks, the ongoing emergency declaration from Governor Inslee has caused frustration throughout the state. One group says they have had enough. Restore Washington, an activist group that includes former 12th Legislative District Rep. Cary Condotta, R-Wenatchee, has worked on several issues in the past, inc...
Wheat fields north of Davenport are starting to show their golden harvest color, but High Line Grain Growers Manager Beau Duff said even after the fields turn color, it is usually another 15 days before the grain is ready to harvest. Duff noted most fields are roughly five days or more behind this year due to the moisture and the cool weather. He anticipates harvest for fields north of Davenport will start around Aug. 5....
DAVENPORT — The School District recently mailed a survey to parents, asking if they plan to send their children back to school this fall. So far, the majority are saying yes. Despite a letter explaining that masks and health screenings would be required in the coming year, 88 of the 94 parents who had responded as of Monday night planned to send their children back to school, according to the district. The first day of school is currently scheduled for Aug. 26. A full reopening plan is due two weeks before school starts. P...
DAVENPORT - A "Black Lives Matter" sign on the lawn of Lynn Leslie was defaced with spray paint last weekend, marring the sign that Leslie said was meant to bring awareness to the goal of the BLM movement. A vandal sprayed over the word "black" and changed the word "matter" to a mis-spelled version of "murder" on the sign located along 3rd street in Davenport. "The Black Lives Matter movement is about change, it is about acceptance, it is about forgiveness, it is about...
DAVENPORT - The Lincoln County Museum is now open, welcoming visitors and locals alike to view the diverse display of historical items related to Lincoln County's past. The museum is located at 600 Seventh St. and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Visitors to the museum can view objects highlighting the agricultural history of the region, including old farm equipment housed in the three outbuildings on the property. Intriguing, well organized displays in the...
DAVENPORT — A man who was pulled over for creating an eight-car backup on Highway 2 in Lincoln County has been charged with possession of methamphetamine that was discovered by officers during a traffic stop. Jebediah Willyard, 38, was stopped by a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy on Feb. 11 for causing an eight-car backup of traffic with his 1988 Chevy pickup. The officer, who was at the end of the line of cars, noted the truck was only driving 50 miles an hour an a 60 mph zone. Upon stopping the truck, Deputy Cuzzetto not...
