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MALDEN - High winds and dry weather conditions propelled a wall of flames southwest across rural Spokane and Whitman counties Monday, leveling homes, businesses and government offices. Approximately 75 percent of structures in Malden burned to the ground, including City Hall, the post office, a gas station and a historic church. Burned-out cars were visible throughout town adjacent to what was left of homes and garages. Local ranchers and residents manned hoses and buckets of...
MALDEN – The Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought to Babb Fire victims here were infested with maggot larvae. Whitman County Washington State University Extension Agent Stephen Van Vleet confirmed the infestation this morning, Friday, Sept. 18, following testing. "I picked them up on Wednesday evening," he said. "We photographed and secured them. And yes, they are infested." The governor presented the apples locally Sept. 10 as the state's "first installment" on s...
MALDEN – While the Honeycrisp apples Gov. Jay Inslee brought here last Thursday continue to sit in the bin he presented the mayor with, others he delivered to Bridgeport and Omak contain maggot larvae. Those apples were dispersed and Douglas County officials are now trying to locate them. This morning, Wednesday, Sept. 16, Chelan-Douglas Horticulture Pest and Disease Board Director Will Carpenter called on anyone with information about the contaminated apples to call or e...
MALDEN - Don't call them wildfires. Call them "climate fires." That was the message Gov. Jay Inslee gave reporters during a brief appearance about noon today, Thursday, Sept. 10, in one of two cities nearly wiped out by the Babbs Fire. That press conference followed a presentation he made to town residents and leaders only minutes before, a presentation in which he requested all media be excluded. Inslee arrived in a black SUV via Pine City-Malden Road, passing numerous "Culp...
MALDEN - Gov. Jay Inslee spoke Monday, Sept. 7, to area residents impacted by the Babbs Fire. Here's a video of his speech....
MALDEN - Here's a video of Gov. Jay Inslee's press conference with media only Thursday, Sept. 10. A video of his speech to Malden residents will be posted separately....
One of the three grain elevators in Pine City caught was destroyed by fire late Monday evening....
MEDICAL LAKE – One person is in serious condition at an area hospital and two others are being questioned in connection with an early morning shooting today, Aug. 27. The shooting occurred at about 3:50 a.m., Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Mark Gregory said, noting it occurred at a home in the 800 block of North Howard Street. One man was shot; and a man and a woman were detained for questioning, he said, noting that the names have not yet been released. As of 10 a.m...
TACOMA — A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that gun-control measure Initiative 1639 is constitutional. U.S. District Court of Western Washington Judge Ronald Leighton, a Whitworth University graduate, issued his ruling Monday on the gun control measure. Under I-1639, semi-automatic rifles are redefined as “assault rifles,” adults 18-20 are barred from having semi-automatic rifles, and dealers are required to sell safes and gun locks and prohibited from selling them to ou...
Last week, the Idaho House of Representatives approved legislation calling for Gov. Brad Little to end his state’s emergency declaration. Shortly thereafter, the Idaho Senate followed suit, albeit approving different legislation. Maybe that’s what our governor, Jay Inslee, is afraid of. Maybe he’s afraid our elected legislators will end his shutdown and tackle an ailing budget that he has yet to responsibly address. Or maybe he just enjoys muzzling other political leade...
MEDICAL LAKE--A brush fire that broke out at 12:32 p.m. north of state Highway 902 and east of Bartholomew Road on Aug. 27 has spread to approximately 200 acres as of 10 a.m. today (Aug. 28). About 50 acres are on Fairchild Air Force Base. Authorities consider the fire to be 80% contained, according to Guy Gifford with the Department of Natural Resources. However, one residential structure and three outbuildings have been lost. "There's a fire trail 100% around the fire,"...
CHENEY — Three people were transported to the hospital Tuesday night, Sept. 1, following a drunken driving-related crash. John R. Burton, 27, of Spokane, Edward K. Skelton, 24, of Cheney, and William K. Skelton, 23, also of Cheney, were taken via ambulance to a Spokane-area hospital, the Washington State Patrol reported. There conditions were not reported. Troopers responded to the 10:51 p.m. crash near Milepost 76 of westbound Interstate 90, the patrol reported. According to the report, Burton was driving a 2019 Honda A...
MEDICAL LAKE – One person is in serious condition at an area hospital and two others are being questioned in connection with an early morning shooting today, Aug. 27. The shooting occurred at about 3:50 a.m., Spokane County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Mark Gregory said, noting it occurred at a home in the 800 block of North Howard Street. One man was shot; and a man and a woman were detained for questioning, he said, noting that the names have not yet been released. As of 10 a...
MEDICAL LAKE - Authorities responded to a fire burning grass, brush and light timber north of state Highway 902, east of Bartholomew Road, at 12:32 p.m. today. The 100-plus-acre fire is burning northeast of the city and on Fairchild Air Force Base. Several homes and other buildings on the northeast side of the fire and off Bartholomew Road are threatened, but none are believed to have burned, a state Department of Natural Resources spokesman said. Level 3 evacuation notices...
Todd Miller of Spokane Valley rides his race "boat" Saturday, Aug. 22, during a weekend of tuning, riding and camping at Four Seasons Campground and Resort on Sprague Lake. Miller, and his daughter, Jordyn, were among more than a dozen racers who gathered at the rural resort along Interstate 90 to tune skis in preparation for the Idaho Buoy Bash race this coming weekend in Hazelton, Idaho. A few other racers were there to tune for next month's World Finals in Lake Havasu,...
EDWALL – A fast-moving fire burned about 40 acres of wheat and sagebrush shortly before lunchtime Wednesday, Aug. 19. The fire on Waukon Road, northwest of the Tyler Road intersection was contained by 12:10 p.m., the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office reported. Fire crews from Edwall, Reardan and Sprague all responded to the blaze, as did Spokane Fire District No. 2 crews based in Cheney. Farmers, too, jumped on the fire line, using their water trucks to help contain the blaze b...
PULLMAN — Police Chief Gary Jenkins has authorized officers to ticket individuals who refuse to wear a mask while coronavirus orders from Gov. Jay Inslee remain in effect. In a press release Wednesday, Aug. 19, on the decision to allow enforcement of mask mandates, Jenkins said his officers “stand between those who are law-abiding and those whose actions risk the health and safety of others.” “Violators of the governor’s proclamations not only put the violator’s health at risk, but the health of our entire community,...
CHENEY — On Wednesday, Aug. 12, gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp spoke briefly to local business managers/owners and a few residents. Eagle's Pub hosted his program. Here's his opening and part of the program....
Dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers provide an appropriate balance between the economic needs of Eastern Washington and fish protections. While we already knew that here in Eastern Washington, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers came to that conclusion, too, after completing yet another environmental study this spring. The results of that new study were released last Friday, and they support keeping things essentially the way they are on our rivers. The dams will stay, for...
REPUBLIC — It’s too little, too late. Regardless, a Monday, Aug. 10, update from the Secretary of State’s Office shows Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Loren Culp picking up another Western Washington county — Grays Harbor — in last week’s primary election. Meanwhile, he ceded a smaller county to another conservative candidate, Raul Garcia, who now claims two counties. Those candidates, and more than 30 others, trail incumbent Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee in the Aug. 4 cont...
CHENEY - Fire crews remain on-scene of a small 17-acre brush fire that quickly raced along the powerlines about 2 miles southwest of the city east of state Highway 904 earlier this afternoon, Aug. 5. Crews responded to the area between South Dayton and West Cameron roads about 1 p.m. for the fire that burned mostly dry grass and sagebrush behind a line of homes east of the highway. A few trees burned, as well. Wind-whipped flames temporarily prompted Cheney police to go...
OLYMPIA — After counting of almost 500,000 late-arriving ballots, Republican candidates have cut into incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee's lead in the Aug. 4 primarily. As of 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, Loren Culp had reached 17.17% of the statewide vote, up about a half-a-point since the initial tally. Gov. Inslee had slipped about the same amount, down to 50.82%. Despite the slip in percentage, Gov. Inslee will still walk away from the primary with a commanding win. As of T...
SPOKANE — Eastern Washington's incumbent Republicans are dominating initial returns in the Aug. 4 primary election. As of the end of counting Tuesday night, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, and Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, were sweeping away challengers. In the 5th Congressional District, McMorris Rodgers had 50.22% of the vote. Her nearest challenger was Democrat Dave Wilson with 24.415. Others in the race include Democrat Chris Armitage, 14.115, Republican S...
OLYMPIA - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal last week suspended implementation of the controversial new "inclusive" sexual education requirements, at least for the fall. In a July 21 bulletin to schools officials statewide, Reykdal cited Referendum 90 qualifying for the Nov. 3 general election for the suspension. "At this time, districts are not required to implement the new requirements outlined in S.B. 5395 for the 2020–21 school year," he wrote. Refer...
Gov. Jay Inslee may order quarantines and business shutdowns, but he cannot enforce them. In agreeing with that argument — presented by attorneys for the governor — U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle ruled last Friday that Gov. Inslee cannot be sued for the “unconstitutional” quarantine of healthy residents, shutdown of otherwise viable businesses or mask mandates. According to the judge, state officials can only be sued if they are connected to enforcement of an alle...
