Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
It’s been an eventful year in east Lincoln County. Here’s a look back at the news that dominated the headlines in the first half of 2021. A recap of the news from the second half of 2021 will be in next week’s issue.
January
The first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations arrived at the Lincoln County Health Department. 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine were slowly distributed to healthcare workers and the elderly.
Drew Lawson, now of Medical Lake and formerly of Vancouver, took the reins as editor of The Davenport Times. Lawson previously covered Reardan for six-months as a part-time reporter for The Times while working the rest of his hours for The Cheney Free Press.
Scotty Duane Maiden and Michelle L. Hopkins were arrested and charged with possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first and second degree. Maiden would plead guilty to the charges in February and was sentenced to 75 months in prison, while Hopkins’ case has extended into 2022.
A windstorm blustered through Eastern Washington, forcing the Davenport School District to close for in-person learning Jan. 13. Several downed trees and power lines were reported around the county, and the wind caused a one-vehicle car crash near Miles-Creston and Hawk Creek Roads.
Jeffrey S. Barkdull was sworn in as Lincoln County Superior Court judge, replacing retired judge John Strohmaier. Barkdull was previously the county prosecutor and was elected to the judge’s position in the Nov. 2020 general election.
Kody Becker was promoted to the role of chief criminal deputy for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Becker, a lifelong Sprague resident, oversees major crimes and leads deputies in investigations that include search warrants.
Lincoln County Health public administration Ed Dzedzy expressed concern that the department was having trouble letting residents know when they could receive a COVID-19 vaccination because the department wasn’t informed of its weekly dosage by the state until the last minute.
Davenport city staff began to discuss the need for a new tenant to farm the sewer lagoons on the northeast end of the city after Dave Hubbard ended his tenancy following losses suffered in the 2020 Whitney Road Fire.
The Davenport School District became part of a COVID-19 rapid testing pilot program where staff members voluntarily tested themselves using a swab and received test results within 24 hours of the swap arriving at a lab.
Loi Lutes was named Sprague’s Citizen of the Year. Lutes was heralded as a frequent volunteer for the local 4-H club, her church and other groups in addition to her career as science teacher, student body advisor and co-athletic director at Sprague High School.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office officers and the Reardan Police Department teamed up to make two drug-related arrests. Sergeant Jerad McLagan, deputies Jon Evans, Kody Becker and Eylar and Reardan police chief Andy Manke served a search warrant at a Ross Street address in Davenport before arresting Catherine Marie Herrman on charges
of second-degree theft, identity theft and possession of a controlled substance and Nathan Mora on an outstanding warrant and possession of a controlled substance.
New county prosecutor Adam Walser was sworn into his position. Walser, who grew up on the family farm near Devil’s Gap, had prior law experience in the Marine Corps.
February
School districts in Reardan and Sprague sought levies in a special election. Reardan was seeking a three-year replacement levy starting in 2022 of $2.00 per $1,000 of assessed property value, while Sprague sought $1.68 per $1,000 of assessed property value for a two-year period.
Data released by the National Weather Service indicated that January’s snowfall was much normal than average. Just two inches of snow fell during the month in Davenport, and the average for January is 8.1 inches.
High school sports schedules were released as districts drew closer to returning to competition for the first time since sports were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
A lost fisherwoman sought safety in a Sprague home after she was separated from her party near Fourth of July Lake and was found after a search that included the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Sprague Fire Department and helicopters from Spokane County.
Reardan-Edwall superintendent Eric Sobotta testified before Washington State legislatures requesting an amendment to House Bill 1356, which banned state public schools from using any Native American names, symbols or images as mascots or logos. Sobotta requested that the bill be amended to allow districts in counties neighboring counties with tribal reservations to work with those reservations for permission to continue using the mascot.
Standout Davenport track athlete Darby Soliday signed a letter of intent to run hurdles at Idaho State University beginning her freshman year of 2021-22.
Lincoln County moved to “Phase 2” of Gov. Jay Inslee’s state re-opening plan as COVID-19 cases continued. The phase allowed outdoor sports to begin, with some unusual guidelines like mask-wearing and limited spectators.
Lincoln County Public Health workers were forced to drive to Pullman to pick up 200 doses of the Pfizer vaccine aimed at preventing COVID-19 after Whitman County received thousands of doses, while Lincoln County received none.
3.2 inches of snow fell in Davenport on President’s Day, forcing the Lincoln County Public Works department to deploy 15 plows throughout the county to clear the suddenly snow-covered roads.
The Davenport school board opted to begin meeting in-person again, but continued to offer a virtual option for those unable to physically attend meetings.
Lincoln County joined a four-county partnership with Stevens, Ferry and Pend Orielle counties to receive shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that would be shared between the four rural counties.
Davenport Elementary School principal Noelle Carstens received awards from the Washington State Business Education Association and Western Business Association for her time as a business educator before moving to her administrative position in 2020.
March
Teachers and childcare workers became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Doses were given to many staff members in Davenport, Reardan, Harrington, Odessa, Wilbur and Sprague.
The Davenport Lions Club installed several yellow flags inside holders attached to the wooden poles at the intersection of Morgan and Sixth Streets that pedestrians can use while crossing the street to draw more attention to their presence.
A strange sports season began, as Davenport volleyball beat Chewelah, soccer beat Kettle Falls and football lost to Asotin while Reardan volleyball lost to Asotin and football topped Kettle Falls.
Reardan football topped its rival Davenport with ease, 24-7.
House Bill 1356 was amended to allow an exception to its rule banning the use of Native American names or symbols as public school mascots or logos. The exception allowed districts, like Reardan-Edwall, to continue using the mascot if the nearest tribe that bordered or was in the county as that district gave its approval.
Reardan town councilmembers approved a motion to have its ordinances codified by Code Publishing Company.
Davenport city council pushed its decision on a sewer lagoon contract that would be a five-year, 2/3-1/3 split between the city and farmer.
Davenport’s housing market favored the seller, as demand often outweighed the supply. Realtor Patrick Katz talked about how quickly houses in town would sell to out-of-towners, while mayor Brad Sweet said space was running out in city limits.
Two bald eagles were killed after crashing into a power line while fighting with their talons locked together on Miles Road near Fort Spokane.
Quintin J. Wright of Reardan, who was previously arrested for cyberstalking, faced new charges after he allegedly stole marijuana the day before he served a four-day jail sentence on his cyberstalking charge.
Davenport soccer picked up a big Senior Day win over fledgling program Reardan.
Reardan football controlled Northwest Christian 29-6 in the final regular season game, while Davenport fell to Columbia (Burbank) in a nonleague showdown.
April
Schools went remote as COVID-19 cases started spreading amongst students. Eight students in Davenport and four students in Reardan tested positive, including several students at the Davenport/Northwest Christian volleyball game.
Davenport city council reached a contract agreement with Matt Schneider to farm the sewer lagoons north of the baseball fields.
Six employees of the Davenport School District resigned. Over 100 years of experience combined were lost as Jean Parsons, Rawleigh Fisk and Karen Brewster announced their retirements.
Jamie Mikelson, who previously was elementary principal in Oroville, was tabbed as Dwight Cooper’s successor in the Reardan Elementary School principal job.
Deputy Dain Harden was named the 2020 Employee of the Year for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office patrol division.
Youngsters in Davenport and Harrington enjoyed Easter Egg hunts in area parks.
Janice Jantz was named director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council after Margie Hall resigned to take a job with the state Department of Commerce.
Lincoln County remained in “Phase 3” of Inslee’s re-opening plan despite a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Spring sports practices began at local schools.
Valene Jean Wynecoop, an inmate at Lincoln County Jail, was found dead in her cell after a suspected suicide.
A fire burned 40 acres on Hawk Creek Road about 13 miles north of Davenport after a resident illegally burned items on their property.
Mass vaccination clinics began at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.
Debris from an exploding SpaceX rocket was suspected to have fallen in several places around Lincoln County. Meteorite hunters came to the area to try to find pieces, but were unsuccessful.
Adria Crandall was crowned Miss Davenport in a ceremony downtown.
Art Deppner received the Melvin Jones Lions Club award for his community service.
May
The Reardan-Edwall School District announced it would be changing its mascot from the “Indians” after the Spokane Tribe declined to support public schools using a Native mascot going forward in the wake of House Bill 1356’s passing.
Three cows were killed after two semitrucks on Highway 28 three miles south of Davenport.
Davenport senior Kristof Panke won the District 7 golf championship for the third time in his high school career.
Another Lincoln County Jail inmate was found dead. Mark W. Robinson died due to suspected self-inflicted causes.
Mathew Scott Chafin of Creston was convicted of first-degree child molestation and was sentenced to 12 months in county jail.
Harrington junior Caroline Slack qualified for three FBLA national competitions.
Candidates began to file for the August primary and November general elections. Contested races began to shape up on the Harrington school board.
The Davenport boys track and field team and four locals won district titles at the district championships in Ritzville.
Harrington held its Ninth Annual Car Show downtown.
Davenport superintendent Jim Kowalkowski announced his intentions to retire after the 2021-22 school year.
Three Davenport youths were arrested and charged in a motor vehicle theft, while one other boy was charged with minor in possession of alcohol.
Reardan unveiled six candidates to replace “Indians” as its school mascot.
June
A project at the Davenport Airport to reconstruct a runway and add a new lighting system began.
The Lincoln County Museum opened for the summer season.
Reardan Elementary School principal Dwight Cooper officially retired after 25 years with the district.
In-person graduations were held in Davenport, Reardan and Harrington.
Union talks commenced between Lincoln County and Teamsters 690, which represents the Sheriff’s Office’s commissioned and non-commissioned officers. The talks were public for the first time in five years.
Advertising representative Georgia Smith left her position with The Times after a year working for the local newspaper.
Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers was charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer, making false or misleading statements to a public servant and rendering criminal assistance in the third degree after a Washington State Patrol investigation into Magers’ alleged attempts to prevent DUI charges being leveled against his son, Colton Magers, following a February incident.
Chad Prewitt was selected as Jim Kowalkowski’s successor as Davenport School District superintendent.
The Davenport pool opened for the summer season during a hot Monday afternoon.
Sixth Street Café and Pizza opened for business in downtown Davenport.
A heat wave blazed through town, with temperatures as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Davenport boys basketball team made it to the district championship before falling to Colfax.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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