The Year in Review 2020

Continued from last week

OCTOBER

In-person instruction at the Odessa School District increased from one to two days/week.

OHS junior Emily Scrupps was named the state’s FBLA Member of the Month.

Odessa Quilt Club members were busy planning events for the coming new year. Planning included contingencies for complying with Covid restrictions imposed via government edict.

Odessa farm resident Kelly Korpinen, 71, was killed a traffic accident during a severe dust storm. She and her husband Don had supplied food, including their homemade German sausage, from their mobile trailer for many years at Deutschesfest. She was also an active member of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.

Matt Roberson became the new owner of Odessa Hardware after purchasing Ramm Hardware from Kim and Dale Ramm.

School football and volleyball teams began practicing in anticipation of returning to fall sports competition, only to have their hopes dashed by new Covid restrictions.

NOVEMBER

Odessa area voters were 76 percent in favor of establishing a Metropolitan Park District to help support the maintenance and operation of the Odessa swimming pool.

Odessa graduates Ireland Luiten and Hannah Sheldon were making headlines as college students. Luiten attends Gonzaga University and during tryouts for the Dance Team was also recruited by the assistant women’s rowing coach to try out for that team. She was selected as a member of both the dance and rowing teams and is carrying a full academic load as well. Sheldon, studying at Montana State University, was awarded her American Degree by the national FFA organization, an honor achieved by very few college students.

Holiday decorations went up all around town, even as the entire country experienced an upsurge in Covid cases. Even Odessa had confirmed cases, though not many. No one in Odessa has died from Covid.

Election results once again clearly showed the political East-West divide among Washington voters. East-side voters overwhelmingly chose Republican candidates over Democratic candidates, while the reverse was also true. Given the much larger west-side population, Democrats maintained control of the legislature and governorship. East-siders voters, however, returned Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers to Congress and also sent many GOP members to the state legislature.

DECEMBER

The grand opening of Odessa Hardware brought an outpouring of local shoppers to Matt Roberson’s business. His extended family members were on hand to help him with raffle prize awards held every hour on the hour.

The U.S. Electoral College voted, confirming the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the new U.S. President and Vice President, respectively.

Odessa Town Marshal Brent Dell resigned his position and accepted another position elsewhere. Officer Les Jimerson became acting town marshal, and Odessa Mayor Bill Crossley announced that Jimerson would become the new town marshal in January 2021.

Odessa High and WSU graduate Alexis Schmierer was awarded a fully paid fellowship at the university for the next two years.

This installment concludes the Year in Review for 2020.