Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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1 years ago Crab Creek raged last week for the first time in 9 years with the highest water levels ever recorded in Odessa. Several streets as well as the railroad were washed out and the town was without train service for 3 days. M. F. Van Hook, county game warden has issued a 10 cent bounty on magpies from January 15 until April 1. An affadavit is required stating that the birds were indeed killed in Lincoln County. Local wheat crops were inspected recently in the Reardan area for damage from the early season freeze when...
Four Odessa FFA students competed in employment skills subdistricts, and one participated in the creed event. Rebecca Bramer placed third and will advance to districts....
GRAND COULEE - A man and woman accused of breaking into a local residence, stealing checks, and committing fraud underwent arraignment in Lincoln County Superior Court on Tuesday, February 4, where both defendants requested competency screenings to determine their ability to stand trial. Brittany A. Ogden, 41, and Jake Keith Denning, 42, each signed a 1077 motion for a competency evaluation after citing difficulties understanding their legal rights. Superior Court Judge Adam...
ALMIRA — A fourth suspect connected to the January burglary of an Almira residence has been charged and will face trial in Lincoln County Superior Court. Thea Wenz, 27, of Moses Lake, pleaded not guilty to one count of residential burglary, second-degree possession of stolen property, second-degree burglary, and second-degree theft. During her arraignment, the prosecution requested standard release conditions. Wenz, who resides with her grandparents, was appointed public defender Victoria Iverson. Her trial is scheduled f...
DAVENPORT - The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners convened Monday, Feb. 3, with Chairwoman Jo Gilchrist calling the meeting to order at 8 a.m. Commissioners approved various vouchers, including $700,601.43 for current expenses and small funds, $15,986.73 in current expense P-cards, and $43,904.00 for the IETT medical insurance special issue. Additional approvals included allocations for the Noxious Weed Board, county roads, solid waste, equipment rental, and pits and...
INCIDENT LOG Editor’s note: Most items in this section reflect the starting point for response by local police and emergency agencies. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) does not release names of individuals who report possible criminal or suspicious activities to dispatchers or alleged victims for this column. Dispatch Log Jan. 26 Traffic Stops: 8 8:24 a.m. – A dispute between neighbors was reported. 8:33 a.m. – A loose dog was reported. 12:10 p.m. – A custody dispute was reported. 1:26 p.m. – Vehicle prowling re...
REARDAN - A Reardan man accused of threatening to kill his family and attempting to commit arson pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Lincoln County Superior Court on Tuesday, February 4. Nicholas Gene Finch, 39, remained handcuffed during the proceedings and did not object to the restraints. Superior Court Judge Adam Walser confirmed that Finch met the qualifications for a public defender, and Finch requested a court-appointed attorney. The prosecution asked for a...
ODESSA — The dismissal of an alleged whistleblower following concerns over potential asbestos exposure at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center was a key topic of discussion at the hospital board meeting on Thursday, Dec. 30. A hospital employee, Barbara Vogelsank, said she was placed on administrative leave after raising concerns about possible asbestos in flooring glue during hospital renovations. The employee stated that after bringing the matter to the attention of hospital leadership, she received a letter informing her t...
When the Legislature's majority Democrats joined Republicans to pass the parental-rights initiative during our 2024 session, did they do so to keep the popular measure from being passed by voters in November, making it possible for them to gut the new law this year over Republican objections? Perhaps. But one thing is certain: Democrats in the state Senate have acted quickly to undermine Initiative 2081 law less than a year later. Senate Bill 5181 was hustled through the Senat...
SOAP LAKE — Two 16-year-old boys from Soap Lake have been arrested in connection with a burglary at a marijuana shop, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded around 1:30 a.m. Friday to an intrusion alarm at 2020 Solutions, located at 261 State Route 28 West in the Lakeview community of unincorporated Soap Lake. Upon arrival, deputies found no suspects but, given a previous attempted burglary at the business on January 27, the Sheriff’s Crime Reduction Team initiated a stakeout. Shortly after conce...
We are writing this message to publicly give a huge thank you to the staff at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center for the wonderful and compassionate care for our mother December 13, 2024 through January 7, 2025. We want to acknowledge the Administrator Barbara, Dr. Heath, and Social Services leader Kennedy, and many wonderful nurses (Aimee, Lori, Christine, to name a few, and many others) who were so caring and supporting of mother and our family during her stay there. It is difficult enough to lose someone so dear, but...
During the 1992 presidential campaign, then-candidate Bill Clinton famously intoned, “I feel your pain,” reassuring voters he understood what they were going through. Since then, similar statements of empathy have become a staple for politicians; however, it does not always ring true with every constituent. Take small business owners, for example. Most elected officials have no idea what it is like to risk everything you have or to struggle to meet payroll for your emp...
Spokesman-Review’s February 2 lead article described the deafening silence from congressional Republicans, true of our new US Representative Michael Baumgartner, in their response to Donald Trump’s unprecedented destructive and dangerous executive orders during his first two weeks in office. This silence was especially evident in Baumgartner’s long January 31 Email message, his first to constituents since Trump’s orders commenced. So is Baumgartner closely following in the steps of his predecessor, Cathy McMorris Rodgers...
William (Bill) Strite May 1, 1933 –Jan. 27, 2025 Bill passed away peacefully on Jan. 27, 2025 in Spokane, Wash. Bill was born on May 1, 1933 in Powell, WY to Joseph and Maude Strite. Bill grew up in the Powell and Cody Wyoming area and later moved to St. Maries, Idaho where he graduated high school. He then married Carol Beebe Howell on Aug. 8, 1954 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They returned to Ralston, Wyoming where Bill worked for Garland Light and Power and were blessed with fo...
Wilma Schmidt Apr. 30, 1928 –Jan. 10, 2025 Wilma Lorraine (Lenhart) Schmidt died peacefully on Jan. 10, 2025 at her home in Odessa at the age of 96. A life-long resident of the Odessa area, she was born April 30, 1928 to Fred and Katie (Walter) Lenhart at the farm homestead 11 miles southeast of town. She completed her education at the Odessa School District, graduating from Odessa High in 1946. After graduating, she worked as a telephone operator at the local exchange for s...
Growing up in Northern Michigan, winter wasn’t just a season but a survival challenge. The snow didn’t gently fall; it descended like a vengeful force determined to bury everything in sight. And did we get snow days? No. We dug ourselves out and trudged like Hobbits marching toward Mount Doom. My late maternal grandmother, who grew up during the Great Depression, used to tell me about walking to school “uphill both ways.” As a kid, I rolled my eyes, figuring she was exagger...
ODESSA - The Odessa School District band program received an unexpected $500 grant from the Columbia Basin Foundation through its "Jazzy January" program. Band director Daniel Lloyd said the Odessa band program did not apply for the grant but was selected after foundation representatives attended a pep band night and were impressed by the students' performance. "I was surprised by it because I didn't apply for anything," Lloyd said. "They called us and told us they had money f...
Davenport birthdays Feb. 6: Della Reinbold, Wendy Bodeau, Tyson Linstrum, Jesse Raugust Feb. 7: Lillian Lyle, Katie Hiccox Feb. 8: Easton Chappell Feb. 9: Brynna Hopkins, Alex Zeiler, Jackson Guhlke, Chuck Woodland Feb. 10: Cory Hollis, Chris Holderby, Logan Briggs Feb. 11: Riley Utley, Norea Hughes-Capua Feb. 12: Craig Sweet Davenport anniversaries Feb. 6: Troy and Dawn Canfield Feb. 7: Scott and Kim Hardin Feb. 8: Kelly and Lisa Graber Reardan birthdays Feb. 6: Miriam Supinger, Todd McLaughlin Feb. 9: Jacquie Hedrick Feb....
HARRINGTON - Home & Makers reopened its doors in downtown Harrington after a January winter break. The grand re-opening ceremony began at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb 1, welcoming patrons with cookies, goodie gift bags and more. "Our grand reopening exceeded expectations in every way," said Kathi Matthews, owner of Home & Makers. "Customers seemed to appreciate how the store was refreshed while we took our annual January winter break. We were busy from open to close with a steady...
As we ring in a new year, I thought it might be a good time to provide you with some updates and challenges facing local law enforcement. On the challenge front, Washington State continues to rank 51st in the nation for law enforcement officers per capita and its an area that has not improved in years. Thankfully, the staffing levels at LCSO have been fairly stable, but we live in a time when everyone is hiring and there are not enough qualified candidates to go around which h...
DAVENPORT - Cedar & Sage, a new boutique in Davenport, opened its doors to a packed crowd, with customers filling the store until closing. "The opening went well. It was awesome," said store manager Mykaiha Stensland. "We were overwhelmed with everyone's love and support." The new boutique, located at 712 Morgan Street, opened its doors for the first time Saturday, Feb. 1. Cedar & Sage offers a variety of products, including clothing, gifts, candles, knickknacks, and...
DAVENPORT – On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the Gorillas (16-2) hosted Reardan (17-2) in a crucial NE2B girls basketball game to determine seedings in the District 6 2B Girls Basketball Tournament. The Screaming Eagles eked out a 51-49 win to secure the No.1 seeding. Rylynn Green scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win for Reardan. Prior to the game, Gorillas' senior Alyssa Kruger was recognized for her contributions to the team. As in their Dec. 13 matchup that R...
DAVENPORT – Reardan defeated the Gorillas 83-47 on Senior Night in Tommy and Jacob Furman's last home game Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Screaming Eagles ended the regular season 19-1 and earned the No. 1 seed in the NE2B District 6 Boys Basketball Tournament. Rysen Soliday led the Screaming Eagles with 23 points. The Gorillas gave Reardan all it could handle in the first period, outscoring them 19-17. Jacob Furman paced the Gorillas with seven first quarter points. Reardan found i...
