Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
It was an eventful year in east Lincoln County. Here’s a look back at the news that dominated the headlines in the second half of 2021. A recap of the news from the first half of 2021 was in last week’s issue.
July
Fireworks were discouraged for the Fourth of July weekend by authorities countywide amidst a heavy heat wave, high winds and drought.
Lincoln County dealt with its hottest temperatures on record. The hottest temperature was actually in June, where a temperature of 111 degrees Fahrenheit was reported on the 29th.
Lincoln County Auditor Shelly Johnston retired after 34 years manning the position.
Sheriff Wade Magers entered a not-guilty plea on all three criminal counts he was charged with at an arraignment.
Scott and Deb Hutsell sold Scott’s Tires to Les Schwab’s corporate office.
Scott Hopkins was elected as the next president of the Davenport Lions Club.
A fire was quickly snuffed out near Fishtrap Lake five miles north of Sprague.
A Life Flight helipad was unveiled at Telford Rest Area.
A Model T Tour motored through Davenport as part of its five-day tour through the Inland Northwest. Tourists visited the Lincoln County Museum before heading north to Fort Spokane and Two Rivers Resort on Highway 25.
Pioneer Days returned to Davenport after a two-year hiatus. The annual parade took place down Morgan Street, vendors lined the city and live music with lunch was offered at City Park.
Chandra Schumacher was selected as Johnston’s interim replacement by the Lincoln County Commissioners.
Davenport city council discussed the parameters and necessary steps it would need to ban fireworks in city limits for future years.
Wheat harvest began early for many local farmers due to a statewide drought.
One cow was killed in a single-car crash on Highway 2 just east of Bennett Road. The crashing vehicle was a pickup truck towing a trailer with five cattle inside.
The Reardan-Edwall School Board punted on its decision to select a new mascot until the state’s plan to fund a change from “Indians” became clearer. For the fall of 2021, Reardan would be just that.
August
The five-person Sprague mayoral race was hotly contested after the primary election. Eventually, M. Shawn Coombs and Sunnie Fortin advanced to the general election.
6th Street Café and Pizza and Romriell Dentistry temporarily closed due to COVID-19 issues amongst their separate staffs.
Nick Landt resigned from the Reardan-Edwall School board after nearly a dozen years on the board.
The new Davenport Clinic opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The clinic had expanded waiting room and an improved interior design.
Reardan council agreed to purchase body cameras and new tasers for the town police department.
Kristof Panke, a graduate of Davenport High School, signed with Lewis-Clark State College to golf.
Area superintendents and principals sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee asking the governor to pivot on his decision mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for public school employees, make required testing an option for employees as an alternative to mandated vaccines and asked for metrics allowing students to remove their masks. The letter was discussed in a school board meeting where many parents voiced their concerns with mask and vaccination mandates.
A pair of Sprague residents were caught stealing bird netting from the old U.S. Bank building in the city.
Nicholas Densley of Spokane was seriously injured in a Jet Ski crash on Lake Roosevelt on a smoky Saturday night.
Reardan town council agreed to raise pay for many county employees, including public works and town hall.
The Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo returned to the county fairgrounds. The rodeo entertained a packed crowd both nights it was held.
September
Mike Stormo and Garry Rosman purchased the old Lincoln Hospital building and began turning it into 11 senior living units.
Students returned to schools in the area. Enrollment grew in Davenport, Reardan and Christian Heritage and fell in Harrington.
Jason Jackson Knight of Sprague was booked into jail with the man he allegedly robbed, Brandon Phillip Searles of Sprague, who was booked on a second-degree assault charge.
Several local residents recalled their memories 20 years after the 9/11 attacks on New York and one year after the Whitney Road Fire that decimated over 10% of the county’s acreage.
Jodie Wilkinson opened an at-home cake shop in Davenport.
Davenport football mutilated the typically tough Colfax Bulldogs in the season opener, setting up for a successful Gorilla season.
Local business owners voiced confusion with the parameters surrounding President Joe Biden’s eventually failed attempt to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for private companies with over 100 employees.
Two new deputies, Nicole Schimidt and Scott Bradley, joined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
A local woman learning to drive accidentally drove through Mountain View Cemetery, somehow causing little damage.
Erin O’Regan, a floor nurse at Lincoln Hospital, began preparations to attempt to swim the English Channel.
Lincoln County superintendents bore the ultimate decision on whether to accept a school staff employee’s request for a religious or medical exemption to the state’s requirement for all staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Residents voiced their concerns with future Family Dollar construction in Davenport and a vacation of the right-of-way on Logan Street requested by building owner Brian Anderson.
A viral TikTok challenge encouraging students to vandalize their schools and towns made its mark in Reardan, where soap dispensers were ripped out of a public bathroom and at the high school.
Well-liked Reardan-Edwall School District employee Jay Warwick passed away suddenly in his sleep.
Reports of white-tailed deer deaths from Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in the northern part of Lincoln County increased at a dramatic rate.
October
Lincoln Hospital and the county health department avoided a mass exodus due to new state vaccine mandates for healthcare workers after just three employees at the hospital were unaccounted for following the exemption process.
The Lincoln County Auditor’s Office was named in a lawsuit filed by the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United and Jerry Schulz of Reardan that baselessly alleged election misconduct in Nov. 2020.
Christopher D. Holverson of Medical Lake was named the primary suspect in an ATM theft at SpeedTrap Tap House in Reardan. Holverson was also suspected of stealing a truck belonging to Forrest Rief of Davenport.
The Almira school was a total loss after a fire that burned overnight Oct. 12-13.
Mike and Virginia Fries listed Edna’s Drive-In for sale as they looked toward retirement.
Davenport football beat Liberty (Spangle) 51-50 in a heartpounding game.
Davenport city council officially approved a partial Logan Street vacation in expectation of Family Dollar construction, which was pushed to spring 2022.
Sheriff Wade Magers’ pre-trial date concerning the three criminal charges he is facing was pushed to Feb. 9, 2022.
Peak Industries held a broadband demonstration at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds. The company and its partners claimed their solution could provide high speed Internet access to rural areas.
Leslie Oliver resigned as business manager in the Davenport School District for a job with the Northeast Washington Educational Service District.
Four Reardan High School students were extras in a filmed scene for a movie called “Dreamin’ Wild.” The movie stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel and is about brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson of Fruitland’s pop-funk album recorded in the 1970’s.
Two suspects suspected of stealing items from Richard Kramer’s Reardan home were arrested in Grand Coulee.
November
Local municipalities began to put together 2022 budgets. The Lincoln County Commissioners faced a budget gap that was typical for the county each year.
Incumbent Matt Schneider held off challenger Don Staley by three votes in a race for Fire District No. 5 Commissioner No. 2.
Reardan soccer knocked off Davenport to secure a chance to play for a state berth before falling to St. George’s in the district title game. The girls then beat Brewster to earn a state berth for the first time in program history and topped Onalaska in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Highland in the quarterfinals.
Davenport High School seniors Tate Nonnemacher-Foster and Cady Zellmer were named Washington Wheat Ambassadors.
Davenport football beat Lake Roosevelt to secure a state playoff berth before falling to Toledo in an intense game in Moses Lake in the first round of the 2B playoffs.
Davenport athletic director Tim Zeiler announced he’d be retiring after the 2021-22 school year, while Reardan head football coach Eric Nikkola announced his own retirement after the team’s last football game.
Lincoln County Care and Share planned a move to a new building on Morgan Street from its present location on 13th Street in Davenport.
The Lincoln County health department received $490,000 in state funds.
Lincoln County dodged severe damages after a high wind storm blew through the area.
A state redistricting plan indicated that Lincoln County would likely be moving from the 13th Legislative District to the 9th Legislative District.
A train transporting grain through Davenport derailed, totaling eight cars, spilling tons of grain and closing Highway 28 for 2.5 hours.
The first snowfall of the season came down in Lincoln County.
December
23 charges were added to the case of Michelle L. Hopkins at the motion of the state. Hopkins, who will next appear in court in February, is now charged with 10 counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first degree and 15 counts of the same charge, but in the second degree. Hopkins would enter a not-guilty plea on the counts.
The Davenport school board swore in Janie Schreck while bidding farewell to longtime board members Heather Panke and Brad Sweet.
Michael Gene Hubbs of Springdale and Amy Elizabeth Wilsey of Chewelah were found guilty of possessing a stolen vehicle seen in Davenport that belonged to a Spokane man.
The county commissioners and Lincoln County Public Works department discussed its annual six-year transportation plan. Some county residents voiced concerns with certain roads at the meeting, including Hawk Creek Road, Sunset Highway and Hansen Harbor Road.
Lincoln County’s redistricting flipped West Larene from Commissioner District No. 3 to Commissioner District No. 2.
Harrington hosted its annual Hometown Christmas, with a tree lighting, visit from Santa and Opera House rummage fundraiser all a part of the festivities.
Investigations found that former Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office chief civil deputy Kathy Wilcox allegedly committed fraud after the state auditor said she cost the department over $30,000 in misappropriations.
Davenport won a Winterfest competition with Reardan that came down to a rock-paper-scissors contest between two students at halftime of the boys basketball game.
The Davenport Elementary School Christmas concert indirectly led to Davenport city council’s first lack of a quorum in 18 years after several councilmembers saw their children in concert as opposed to attending council.
Jessica Smith was sworn in as the newest Davenport city councilmember, replacing Theresa Telford, who didn’t file for re-election after 18 years on council.
Basin Pacific bought the old Inland Power building on Morgan and 12th Street, which is also the current home of The Times.
Davenport and Reardan Middle and High Schools held their annual Christmas concerts ahead of winter break.
Negative temperatures settled into the region in the last week of the year.
6th Street Café and Pizza closed its doors after five months in business.
Davenport city council approved a motion to reinstate water shutoffs for those who don’t make payment plans and are past due in their bills.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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