Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
100 years ago
The Odessa Record
October 19, 1919
News updates: Lt. Symons took eight persons above the clouds while here with his airplane. Al Wagner made the first ride, followed by Fred Heimbigner, D. H. Simpson and little daughter, Ed Geissler, F. J. Geissler, C. E. Porter, John Deeg and B. Minard. When the plane landed at the Porter place it became stuck in the sand and it took the combined efforts of the owner, C. E. Porter and the Carr boys to release it.
A petition, known as the Hoefel petition, was placed before the Adams county commissioners asking extension of the Donahue highway to connect with Ritzville, and another petition would establish a connection to Lind.
The basket social given at the Catholic hall was enjoyed by all. Music was by Captain Wachter and his boys, and dancing was excited, with the local shoemaker sitting by, smiling.
A carnival company blew into town for no apparent reason and set up for business. Most popular was the show tent and women of the town checked up on this by cutting holes in the tent. What they saw caused them to enter complaints and police stopped the show.
The Red Cross drive starts on November 2.
The Washington Tuberculosis society will have a two-day clinic and exhibit at the Masonic hall.
Constantine Eichhorn returned from the army this week. He was the first Odessa boy to “go over the top” and took part in five major battles. After the armistice he was with the army of occupation.
A double wedding at the home of the Rev. P. Grosschupf at Spokane John Gettman and Minnie Hamburg and Henry Gettman and Mollie Heimbigner were married.
Mr. and Mrs. John Witt visited with Gottlieb Witt while enroute to their home in Tacoma from Miles City, Mont. They left the Montana city with two inches of snow on the ground.
P. R. Harrild sold his residence on Second avenue to John Hopp, who bought it for an investment.
Will Shimek is assisting the concert band orchestra with this drums, bells and Xylophone, something new for the dancers in this section.
D. G. Roloff sold a quarter section of land known as the Albrecht place to William Steinhoff of Marlin, who owns land just across the road.
Louis Mullerleile of Quincy arrived this week with a carload of potatoes to retail. He was the first settler at Quincy, not only having broken out the first tract of land in that section but at one time owned the only store within a distance of 25 miles of the town.
Odessa high school students have perfected an organization to be known as the “Associated Students.”
75 years ago
The Odessa Record
October 19, 1944
Death takes Adams county pioneer: Funeral services were held at Ritzville on Tuesday of last week for George H. Kanzler, 87, one of Adams county’s oldest pioneers. Death came the Saturday preceding.
Coming to the United States in 1876 from Russia with his parents, he lived in the middle west for a few years and finally homesteaded near Ritzville in 1883. He farmed until 1916, when he retired to Ritzville. Mr. Kanzler was president of the Ritzville Warehouse company, a farmers cooperative, from 1912 to 1936 and helped found the organization.
He is survived by two sons, Samuel and Dan, both of Ritzville; three daughters, Mrs. Mike Thiel, Mrs. J. P. Koch and Mrs. David Weber, all of Ritzville; one sister, Mrs. J. F. Rosenoff, Ritzville.
Stores will close for football game: Stores will close during the hours of the football game on Friday when the Harrington high school team comes here to meet the Odessa team, unbeaten in conference play and leading the district at present. The game will start at 2 o’clock, at Finney field.
Lively time for retired mercahnt: C. C. Dobson, pioneer meat market operator, who sold his business some time ago to enjoy life on his hay ranch, has found that the ranch life offers more danger than even an irate customer ever offered.
Monday was the fourth runaway he had had with his team of mules. This time they ran about three blocks before pausing. The runaway previous came almost removing a part of the recent festival parade.
The float had been fixed up at the Dobson yard and a heavy wind came up, whereupon he decided to take the float to a shed for protection. His mules went gently until they happened to catch sight of the ribbons used for decorating and started a runaway. After traversing much of the ranch they came to a stop. Fortunately for the parade entry the ribbons were but slightly disarrayed.
50 years ago
The Odessa Record
October 16, 1969
Town trial reset for October 29th: The lawsuit filed in early July against the town council by the A. J. Webers, and others similarly situated, will be heard in Superior Court at Davenport next Wednesday. Judge B. J. McLean of Ephrata will preside.
The original Complaint brought against the Town was intended to bring a half to the proposed sewer collection and disposal system which had been developed by Council members and other interested citizens for a period of several months.
Court action will undoubtedly center around whether or not 60 percent of the total value of the proposed project was protested when a Local Improvement District was established last spring as a means of implementing the project. The law stipulates that if 60 percent or more of the proposed assessment for such a project is protested, the project is automatically killed. City officials contend that it wasn’t; opponents to the project contend that it was.
A motion filed by the Town asking that the complaint be summarily dismissed was argued before the same judge in August. The motion was denied and trial has been set next Wednesday, October 29.
Bruno gives information on changes effecting school district budgets: Information released today by State Supt. Louis Bruno shows the effect of the change of assessment ratio, enrollment and per pupil guarantee on 1969-70 school district budgets.
Fiscal staff members of Bruno’s office had been working all week to collect and interpret the statistics which are required from school districts each October 1. A detailed data processing run showed the impact on every school district in the state, giving the “weighed” enrollment used in their May preliminary budget and then their final October budget, the adjusted valuation of 1968 compared to that of 1969, the loss or gain due to the ratio change and even the anticipated PL 874 federal impact funds.
“Every single school district in 26 counties lost funds because of the assessment change,” Supt. Bruno said. “I can only reiterate my earlier statement that this problem was caused by the poor timing of this announced change in September by State Dept. of Revenue. School districts were into their third fiscal month of operation of the 1969-70 school year and were almost up to the Oct. 5 legal deadline for adoption of final budgets.
Raises per pupil allocation
“Following the Attorney General’s opinion of Oct. 1 that I possessed the requisite authority to make the revisions in per pupil allocations, I established the $3 per pupil raise. The $3 million this totals just approximates the loss due to the assessment change. Nowhere does any school district become rich from the $3. In the 13 counties which received a ratio increase instead of loss, we have advised that no new programs nor salary adjustments should be planned. Most of these counties had lower enrollments than anticipated, however, so they were still in need of funds.
“After the $3 per pupil guarantee raise and the allocation of the $3 million involved, the school districts affected still face a shortage of $5.6 million. About 70% of the school children in the state are enrolled in these districts.
“On this basis,” Bruno said. “It was essential that I change the guarantee.” The change was made and allocations will be kept within the appropriation made by the 1969 legislature.
Lower enrollments are problem
“Compounding the problem is the fact of lower enrollments than anticipated by many local districts. This will cost them about $6 million which will remain in the state treasury. Let me point out that school districts do not receive money based on their anticipated enrollments but on the actual enrollment after official figures are in.”
“For budget purposes, school districts must estimate enrollments months in advance. On the other hand, the school appropriation requested by the State Superintendent and decided upon by the Legislature must be based on enrollments provided by the governor’s Office of Program Planning and Fiscal Management. It is not my office which forecasts these enrollments upon which the appropriation is based.
“It has been suggested the some of the PL 874 federal funds expected by some districts be used for other losses of funds. This money was earned by school districts in the 1968-69 school year and was due to be received by school districts last May. It still has not been received. Incidentally, this amount is not a fixed figure and we do not know when or how much will result. There is a legal question about whether these funds can, under federal or state law, be deduced from the school district budgets.”
25 years ago
The Odessa Record
October 20, 1994
Heliport dedication Sunday: A unique facility among rural hospitals, a rooftop heliport, will be inaugurated at dedication ceremonies Sunday at Odessa Memorial Hospital.
One of Northwest MedStar’s Twinstar ambulance helicopters will be the first craft to touch down on the new pad on the roof of the hospital’s north wing. It is scheduled to arrive at 2:15 p.m. The dedication, to which members of the community and state, county and hospital district officials have been invited, will begin at 2 p.m.
The ceremony will take place on the hospital grounds between the hospital and the Odessa Clinic. Cake, coffee and punch will be provided by the Odessa Healthcare Foundation, sponsors of the event. There will be tours guided by Odessa EMT members to the rootop pad by way of the newly extended elevator. The public will have the opportunity to survey the new structure and to visit with the MedStar crew.
Odessa Memorial’s helipad project is the culmination of two years of planning and effort. In the spring of 1992, aviation consultant David Ketchum visited the hospital, and noting the site in the emergency driveway then used for a landing spot, stated that it left much to be desired. He said there was an urgent need for a new site and that the safest and most accessible place for a helipad was on the roof of the hospital.
Ketchum helped arrange state funding available for updating heliports. Monies became available through the Department of Transportation’s aviation fuel tax fund, previously designated only for municipal airports.
Odessa’s rooftop heliport is the only one among rural hospitals in Washington State. The project was significantly more expensive than construction of a facility on a ground site. Working with 3E Design architects, who had supervised previous rooftop projects, hospital district commissioners found the innovative solution to also be a practical one. The building was adequate to bear the weight of the heliport structure and the helicopter itself.
Based on plans submitted by Ketchum, the Aeronautic Division of the state Department Transportation awarded Odessa Memorial a $54,572 grant in August 1993.
Local cash donations to the project included $1,000 in honor of Kay Parrish and $4,000 from the Odessa Coin Club. When bids came in for the elevator extension to the roof and costs rose considerably above the original budget, the Odessa Healthcare Foundation saved the project by pledging $15,000.
Construction began last August. Hospital maintenance personnel, Lenn Barney, Dave Stevens and Rod Coleman, carried out the construction of the structure interpreted by Barney from plans prepared by 3E Design.
Local businesses and individuals who volunteered time, supplies and equipment include Keith Kolterman and Rick Goetz of the Grange Supply Company of Odessa, Walter Implement, Water West, Odessa Trading Company, Odessa Union Warehouse Cooperative, Mike’s Chevron the Town of Odessa, Kevin Kramer, Fred Allington, Kelly Hembach, Willie and Dean Schott, Mike Kiesz, Wade Walter and Wally King.
Local use of Lifebird and Heartflite air ambulacne services had averaged 10 to 12 transports a year for several years. Utilization increased to 16 transports in 1993 and 13 so far in 1994.
In September, Sacred Heart and Empire Health Services merged their air ambulance services into Northwest MedStar. Since the merger, use of the old helipad in the driveway has been discontinued, with helicopters landing at Finney Field. This has required an additional 20 to 30 minutes in patient transfers.
Odessa native in major role backstage at Metropolitan: Steven Horak recently accepted a position with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City.
He had begun the opera season with the San Francisco Opera Company, where he had been for four years, when the opportunity rose for the change.
While with the San Francisco Opera, he was wigmaster and makeup artist. At the “Met,” he is assistant head of the makeup department.
A part of the Met season will be the premier of two new operas which will be televised.
Steve is the son of Mary and Harold Kern, of Odessa. He graduated from Odessa High School with the Class of 1972. In 1976, he graduated from Washington State University, and following year he received a master’s degree in vocal performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Following several years with the Detroit Opera Theater, he was chosen to go to the San Francisco Opera Company to be trained in wigs and makeup.
He has traveled to a number of opera companies, where he was in charge of the wig and makeup departments. In Miami and Champaign, Ill., he taught the basics of makeup in college short courses.
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