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OLYMPIA — Calling the current status of the coronavirus outbreak the "third wave," Gov. Jay Inslee ordered more shutdowns this morning, Nov. 15. Indoor service at restaurants and bars is prohibited from midnight Monday through Dec. 14. In addition, church services are being limited to 25% capacity or 200 people, whichever is less, the governor said, calling today the "most dangerous public health day" in state history. Choirs, singing and ensembles are banned, but a solo performance will be allowed. "In-action here is not a...
DAVENPORT — The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory as heavy snow is expected to move into Northern Idaho and Northeast Washington. The advisory runs from 11 p.m. until noon tomorrow. "A wet storm system will move in tonight and spread snow across much of North-Central andNortheast Washington and into the Idaho Panhandle, the advisory said. "Snow will be heavy at times over the mountain passes and mountain valleys with winter travel likely by Friday m...
OLYMPIA — A day after Gov. Inslee told residents to have virtual Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations this year, he issued a travel advisory calling on travelers to quarantine 14 days. The governor’s advisory also suggests only “essential” travel outside of the home. All residents or visitors who travel out of the state should quarantine 14 days, he said, following the lead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. “COVID-19 cases have doubled in Washington over the past two weeks,” he said. “This puts...
OLYMPIA - The governor and his wife tonight called on state residents to forgo Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with family this year. Speaking together from a couch, Gov. Jay Inslee said we're "going to have to pause" traditional family Thanksgiving celebrations and "December holidays." "We have to rethink these holidays so we can be thankful when we don't lose more lives to COVID," he said, calling the situation that has dragged on since February only "temporary."...
DAVENPORT– Drivers should expect wintry conditions and slick roads overnight tonight. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for 10 p.m. tonight to 10 a.m. Tuesday in advance of a storm that's expected to bring 1-3 inches of snow across the area overnight. "Light now will develop overnight," the advisory said. "Wintry driving conditions will be possible during the Tuesday morning commute, especially on untreated roadways." About 1-2 inches of snow i...
SPOKANE VALLEY — Liberty state supporters have a new champion in Olympia following yesterday's general election. Republican Rob Chase of Spokane Valley will be filling the 4th Legislative District seat being vacated by Rep. Matt Shea. As of the end of ballot counting Nov. 3, Chase had 61% of the vote to Democrat Lance Gurel's 39%, according to the Spokane County Election Office. Chase is a former Spokane County treasurer and was backed by Rep. Shea. Liberty state is the most current iteration in Eastern Washington's c...
DAVENPORT – In Washington state, Lincoln County is "Trump Country." During an initial count in the Nov. 3 general election tonight, voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots for incumbent President Donald J. Trump. Lincoln County voters led the state with 72.29% support for President Trump and running mate Vice President Mike Pence. Only 25.69% of voters here supported Democrat challenger Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris. Only two Eastern Washington counties — Whitman and Walla Walla — were leaning towar...
DAVENPORT – Despite vehement local objection to an “inclusive” sexual education mandate, Referendum 90 was passings statewide after an initial election night tally Nov 3. Approval of R-90 reaffirms a law passed by Democrats in Olympia last spring that requires all public schools to start teaching a sexual education curriculum, including mandatory alternative lifestyle intimacy, in all public schools starting with kindergarten. The initial count showed the measure had 1,916,159 supporting votes statewide, or 59.38%, as of pr...
SPOKANE — Eastern Washington’s two incumbent Republican congressional representatives were leading by large margins following the initial general election tally Tuesday night. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane and Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside had comfortable leads in their districts at press time. In the race for the 5th Congressional District, McMorris Rodgers was leading Democrat challenger Dave Wilson, 195,907 votes to 133,419 (59.4% to 40.4%). Due to technical issues, Whitman County has yet to report; the county is...
If there was any doubt about a need for change in the Governor’s Mansion occupancy, political newcomer Loren Culp swept them away in the only gubernatorial debate two weeks ago. Gov. Jay Inslee, who has been occupying the mansion for the last two terms, should’ve come ready to take on a small town police chief. Instead, he ran for his typical cover — everything is the fault of President Trump, global warming, systemic racism and the coronavirus. The problem is that misma...
MALDEN – While the Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought here last Thursday continue to sit in the bin he presented the mayor with, others he delivered to Bridgeport and Omak contain maggot larvae. Those apples were dispersed and Douglas County officials are now trying to locate them. This morning, Wednesday, Sept. 16, Chelan-Douglas Horticulture Pest and Disease Board Director Will Carpenter called on anyone with information about the contaminated apples to call or e...
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife already manages about a million acres of publicly owned lands statewide. Now, the agency is trying to use recent wildfires as an excuse to regulate more land use, and potentially increase its land holdings. Last week, the agency called for sage-grouse to be listed as an “endangered” species. It will be collecting public comment on the idea through Dec. 30. According to agency South-Central Regional Director Mike Livingston, this yea...
OLYMPIA — Republic Police Chief Loren Culp came out swinging and kept incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee on the defensive during their only planned gubernatorial debate Wednesday night, Oct. 7. Culp, R-Republic, blasted Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, for mismanaging state agencies, violating state and constitutional rights, and a lack of leadership. "What we have right here in Washington is a leadership crisis," Culp said as the one-hour debate kicked off. Rather than defend his r...
We’re only about three weeks until our ballots arrive in the mail for the Nov. 3 all-mail-in election. So far, the focus has been on the presidential race between Republican President Trump and Democrat challenger former vice president Joe Biden. Here, much of the focus has also been on the gubernatorial race between incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat from Bainbridge Island, and Eastern Washington’s own Republican challenger Loren Culp, who leads the Republic Police Dep...
PULLMAN - The Police Department has released the body-video camera footage of Washington State University basketball coach Kamie Ethridge issued a $150 citation Aug. 28 for violating Gov. Jay Inslee's coronavirus quarantine orders. The video was released to KREM TV. The municipal ticket was written as a civil infraction under the city's nuisance party law, which prohibits parties in the city. Pullman and Washington State University, as well as the city of Cheney and Eastern...
MALDEN – The Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought to Babb Fire victims here were infested with maggot larvae. Whitman County Washington State University Extension Agent Stephen Van Vleet confirmed the infestation this morning, Friday, Sept. 18, following testing. "I picked them up on Wednesday evening," he said. "We photographed and secured them. And yes, they are infested." The governor presented the apples locally Sept. 10 as the state's "first installment" on s...
MALDEN - High winds and dry weather conditions propelled a wall of flames southwest across rural Spokane and Whitman counties Monday, leveling homes, businesses and government offices. Approximately 75 percent of structures in Malden burned to the ground, including City Hall, the post office, a gas station and a historic church. Burned out cars were visible throughout town adjacent to what was left of homes and garages. Local ranchers and residents manned hoses and buckets of...
MALDEN - Don't call them wildfires. Call them "climate fires." That was the message Gov. Jay Inslee gave reporters during a brief appearance about noon today, Thursday, Sept. 10, in one of two cities nearly wiped out by the Babbs Fire. That press conference followed a presentation he made to town residents and leaders only minutes before, a presentation in which he requested all media be excluded. Inslee arrived in a black SUV via Pine City-Malden Road, passing numerous "Culp...
Last week, the Idaho House of Representatives approved legislation calling for Gov. Brad Little to end his state’s emergency declaration. Shortly thereafter, the Idaho Senate followed suit, albeit approving different legislation. Maybe that’s what our governor, Jay Inslee, is afraid of. Maybe he’s afraid our elected legislators will end his shutdown and tackle an ailing budget that he has yet to responsibly address. Or maybe he just enjoys muzzling other political leade...
TACOMA – A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that gun-control measure Initiative 1639 is constitutional. U.S. District Court of Western Washington Judge Ronald Leighton, a Whitworth University graduate, issued his ruling Monday on the gun control measure. Under I-1639, semi-automatic rifles are redefined as “assault rifles,” adults 18-20 are barred from having semi-automatic rifles, and dealers are required to sell safes and gun locks and prohibited from selling them to out-of-state residents. The law also made owner...
MEDICAL LAKE – One person is in serious condition at an area hospital and two others are being questioned in connection with an early morning shooting today, Aug. 27. The shooting occurred at about 3:50 a.m., Spokane County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Mark Gregory said, noting it occurred at a home in the 800 block of North Howard Street. One man was shot; and a man and a woman were detained for questioning, he said, noting that the names have not yet been released. As of 10 a...
PULLMAN — Police Chief Gary Jenkins has authorized officers to ticket individuals who refuse to wear a mask while coronavirus orders from Gov. Jay Inslee remain in effect. In a press release Wednesday, Aug. 19, on the decision to allow enforcement of mask mandates, Jenkins said his officers “stand between those who are law-abiding and those whose actions risk the health and safety of others.” “Violators of the governor’s proclamations not only put the violator’s health at risk, but the health of our entire community,...
Dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers provide an appropriate balance between the economic needs of Eastern Washington and fish protections. While we already knew that here in Eastern Washington, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers came to that conclusion, too, after completing yet another environmental study this spring. The results of that new study were released last Friday, and they support keeping things essentially the way they are on our rivers. The dams will stay, for...
OLYMPIA - After counting of almost 500,000 late-arriving ballots, Republican candidates have cut into incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee's lead in the Aug. 4 primarily. As of 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, Loren Culp had reached 17.17% of the statewide vote, up about a half-a-point since the initial tally. Gov. Inslee had slipped about the same amount, down to 50.82%. Despite the slip in percentage, Gov. Inslee will still walk away from the primary with a commanding win. As of Thursday,...
OLYMPIA - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal last week suspended implementation of the controversial new "inclusive" sexual education requirements, at least for the fall. In a July 21 bulletin to schools officials statewide, Reykdal cited Referendum 90 qualifying for the Nov. 3 general election for the suspension. "At this time, districts are not required to implement the new requirements outlined in S.B. 5395 for the 2020–21 school year," he wrote. Refer...