Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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HARRINGTON — Those closely following proposed wind turbine project developments will have a chance to learn more about various community viewpoints and issues soon. The Lincoln County Cattlemen’s Association is sponsoring a community meeting at the Harrington Opera House to help educate the public at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26. Moderator Sue Lani Madsen said the meeting’s purpose is to establish a “baseline of information” and attempt to answer questions citizens have. “We want to establish a culture of being able to discuss...
DAVENPORT — The Lincoln County Planning Dept. is in the process of updating Title 17 of the county code to include provisions for alternative energy facility siting, like wind and solar projects. Such language is not presently included in the code. The update comes during controversial wind turbine projects being developed utilizing mostly private, leased land in the Davenport, Reardan and Harrington areas by multiple alternative energy companies. A new chapter, 17.14, would address commercial wind energy facility s...
DAVENPORT — Sunshine Disposal, the company the city contracts with for garbage disposal services, is proposing a 19% increase for services provided to the city. In a meeting with City Council Wednesday, March 13, regional manager Steve Wulf said inflation and the company being forced to raise wages five times are main contributing factors in the proposed increase. Additionally, he said, the state’s carbon tax has caused the company to spend considerably more on fuel. City administrator Steve Goemmel said the 19% increase wou...
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 does not release names of individuals who report possible criminal or suspicious activities to dispatchers or alleged victims for this column. March 10 Traffic stops: 31 A Reardan woman said she thought there was a large bobcat outside her house on the 100 block of Maple Street. A car crash was reported at 12th and Morgan Streets in Davenport. A disturbance...
DAVENPORT — The 4-year contract between the City and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services expires at the end of 2024. As a result, negotiations are expected to commence this year for a potential new contract. And with that comes a once-every-four-years debate about whether the city should continue contracting with the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services or begin its own police department, which the city hasn’t had in over 20 years. City co...
DAVENPORT — One of the chief promises of the companies looking to build wind turbine projects in Lincoln County is the expected increase in property tax revenue for the county current expense and road budget. Studies show that assessed valuations from wind turbine projects around Washington indeed increase the budgets of the counties projects are developed in. However, the wind turbines are considered personal property, which can depreciate over time. And that could lead to tax burdens being shifted to surrounding t...
ODESSA - The local Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet at Old Town Hall Friday, March 8. There, prizes were raffled, dinner was served and entertainment was provided. During the recognition portion of the evening, Odessa Golf & RV was named Business of the Year. The business, owned by Dillon and Hannah Jahns, includes a 9-hole golf course and dining options. The clubhouse and restaurant is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Tom Clavel and his family were then named...
DAVENPORT — Lincoln County is in the process of updating its zoning regulations to include provisions for the siting of alternative energy facilities, including commercial wind and solar facility standards. But first, a public hearing must be held to hear questions and concerns from the public. And that public hearing is scheduled to take place during the Lincoln County Planning Commission’s meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at the Fairgrounds. Planner Courtney Thompson said the update is simply a code update to add con...
DAVENPORT - Most Lincoln County voters would prefer that former president Donald Trump get re-elected for a second term this November. Trump received most of the county votes in the presidential primary election held Tuesday, March 12. 3,229 Lincoln County ballots had been counted by Tuesday night, with 2,633 votes for Republican candidates and 594 votes for Democrat candidates. Of those 2,633 Republican votes, Trump received 2,169. Four other Republican candidates, who have...
The Town of Odessa has a new councilman. Jim Smith was the chosen candidate among five applicants to replace Josh Clark, who resigned in January. Smith was sworn in by Mayor Bill Crossley at council's meeting Monday, March 11....
SPRAGUE — The trial of a local man charged with five counts of first-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct was again continued, this time to May 8. Jonathan Ray Stocker, 42, of Sprague faces the charges after police allegedly discovered over 100 child pornography-related files on a laptop at his Old Sprague Highway Road residence late last summer. The trial was most recently c...
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 does not release names of individuals who report possible criminal or suspicious activities to dispatchers or alleged victims for this column. March 4 Traffic stops: 22 A 911 hangup call came from a woman in the Davenport area. On a callback, the woman was revealed to have dementia and made the call in error. A Lincoln County Jail inmate was transported to...
MEDICAL LAKE — A former Martin Hall Juvenile Corrections Facility employee has been arrested for allegedly raping a juvenile inmate. Antwon D. Jones, 40, was arrested Feb. 29 on charges of third-degree child rape and first-degree custodial sexual misconduct, court records state. Martin Hall, 201 Pine St., houses juvenile offenders from across Northeast Washington, including Lincoln County. Jones was fired Feb. 7 following an investigation into a sexual assault reported Jan 26, court records state. According to staff, an anony...
SPRAGUE — A man was arrested and booked into Lincoln County Jail, while an Illinois woman was cited and released after hundreds of tires were allegedly found dumped near the city Friday, March 8. Warren Roy Staves, 53, of Spokane was arrested and booked on a charge of first-degree theft. Amanda M. Stamper of Alton, Illinois, was cited and released for illegal dumping, police records state. According to police records, a caller reported several instances of tire dumping from Ghers Road south to Bob Lee Road, which is about thr...
OLYMPIA — A bill written to reduce the number of rejected ballots in elections is on its way to Gov. Jay Inslee's desk. Signature verification is done to curtail fraud in mail-in ballots. But, state officials say, too often people change the way they sign their name or they don’t sign their ballot at all. That results in a rejection of their ballot. Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, introduced Senate Bill 5890 after reviewing statistics on ballot rejection rates. The bill received unanimous approval in both the House and Sen...
OLYMPIA — After voters submitted an initiative rolling back some police pursuit regulations, the Legislature approved the measure. As a result, new rules giving police more leeway to engage in high-speed pursuits become law June 5. “The people of the state are suffering increasing rates of crime, property, crime, violent crime,” said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. “When I talked to cops and sheriff's deputies, they told me the one thing more than anything else that we need is the ability to chase bad people.” In 2021, the Legis...
OLYMPIA - An initiative prohibiting the imposition of a state income tax was approved March 5 by the Legislature. "This is a great day for everyone in Washington," said Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen. "Codifying Washington's long-standing tradition of opposing any state tax on personal income will help working families and local economies...When common-sense conservative policies lead the way, things get better for everyone." At the hearing on the initiative, every chair in the jo...
DAVENPORT — The Lincoln County Republican Central Committee elected delegates to the Washington State Republican Party Convention at the 2024 County Republican Convention at the County Courthouse Sunday, March 3. Seven delegates and four alternates were chosen at the Convention. Chairwoman Mary Blechschmidt, Ron Horlacher and Carol Paul are automatic State party delegates. Elected delegates included Dale Anderson of Creston, Dugan Blechschmidt of Seven Bays, Jan Horlacher of Deer Meadows, Shelley Sieverkropp of Wilbur, D...
ODESSA — The Dept. of Health recently granted an expedited approval for the repair of Quail Court, an assisted living facility run by the local Memorial Healthcare Center that was damaged by a burst pipe during a freeze in January. Healthcare Center CEO Brett Antczak confirmed the expedited approval to proceed with repair work Tuesday, Feb. 27. “We are working through bids with contractors now to try and get work started as soon as possible,” Antczak said. Work will include replacing drywall, insulation, flooring, sidin...
DAVENPORT - The Lincoln County Republican Party observed its annual Lincoln Day dinner Saturday, Feb. 24 at Memorial Hall. After a catered dinner, attendees got to hear from several candidates for public office. Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Walser announced his candidacy for Lincoln County Superior Court Judge. Current Judge Jeffrey Barkdull is stepping down from that position after his term expires at the end of 2024. "I think it's important that we have judges...
DAVENPORT —The Lincoln County Commissioners discussed county tax title properties with Treasurer Emily Hansen and Assessor J Scott Liebing at the Commissioners’ regular meeting Monday, March 4. Hansen explained that tax title properties are properties that have gone up for foreclosure. If it is not bought through auction, it gets deeded into Lincoln County’s name and is removed from the tax rolls. There are currently 27 tax title properties in Lincoln County. Hansen said one parcel in Odessa, Lot 4 of Bromstad Plat B-95,...
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 does not release names of individuals who report possible criminal or suspicious activities to dispatchers or alleged victims for this column. Feb. 26 Traffic stops: 7 A local man was arrested on a firearms-related charge in Odessa. A caller said a friend sent her a letter with a key and title to a vehicle in the mail and when she got the letter, it had bee...
HARRINGTON — A local man was injured in a one-car rollover crash three miles east of the city on State Highway 28 Monday, March 4. Francis M. Pate, 59, of Harrington was injured after his gray 2000 Toyota Camry left the Highway and rolled multiple times near milepost 120 of the Highway around 5:43 p.m. Monday, according to a release from Washington State Patrol. The Patrol reported that the Camry stopped 60 feet off the roadway and Pate was ejected from the vehicle. He was injured and transported to Sacred Heart Medical C...
DAVENPORT — City council heard updates on apartments being built in the former Black Bear Motel location and approved an updated six-year street plan at a regular meeting Wednesday, Feb. 28. Before council unanimously approved a conditional use permit at 30 Logan Street to convert the Motel into apartments, Nathan Winch of RGNW Investments LLC answered questions on the units. The 265-square-foot rooms will undergo interior remodeling only. The conditional use permit had been unanimously approved by the city planning commissio...
DAVENPORT — No action items were presented to the Davenport School Board at a regular meeting that was mostly fiscally focused Monday, Feb. 26. Business manager Dana Telecky presented the Board with a spreadsheet breaking down the current school year budget. The District has a budget of $9,643,177 in state and federal funding. Combined with local property taxes, investment earnings and local receipts, the total cash increases amount to $10,626,383. Once the District pays its employees, bills and other expenses, total cash d...
