McIntosh Grange Members Raise Funds for Camp for Kids

June 30, 2011  Members of the McIntosh Grange volunteered at the Sprague (West) Rest Area,  serving beverages and cookies to raise money for Camp for the Kids and repairs on the McIntosh Grange building in Rockford.  They will also be at the Shrag Rest Area July 22-25, 2011.  If you would like to donate cookies or can spend some time at the rest area please don't hesitate to call Kathy Creed,  (509) 291-3190. 

 

The Grange State Convention is in Moses Lake, June 28 - July 3, 2011.  Many McIntosh Grange members are there now participating.

 

Rockford Women's Club Enjoy Summer Activities

Fourteen members of Rockford Women’s Club gathered recently in Manito Park in Spokane, Wash., at the "Park Bench Café." Following their 6:30 p.m. 'brown bag dinner' they toured the Perennial Garden, Duncan Garden, Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden.

"Everyone had an enjoyable time and would like to go back sometime in the fall. Our next gathering will be August 16 th to work on our "Pioneer Corner" located at the entrance from Highway 27 coming into Rockford," Wanda Brown said. We just put up a new flag on our flag pole, thanks to the help from Pastor David Lura and his full day of work clearing brush to get to our flag pole."

The woman plan to clear brush from around the cabin in the vintage park, replace missing shingles on the small cabin, and maybe trim juniper bushes that have grown out of control.

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

Rockford Pioneer Museum Members Busy

Although members of the Rockford Pioneer Museum, Rockford, Wash., will tell you that nothing out of the ordinary going on right now at 10 S. 1st Street, they are busy. Evelyne Fricke reports, Evelyn has been working on some paper work. The museum is open Saturday & Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Members are on hand to welcome visitors, handle sales of post cards, calendars, etc., and answer questions.

"The crew is working on getting the 2nd floor ready for exhibits. Have painted the kitchen cupboards, and we are working on research for people who contact us for help. Paul is working on the calendar. And we are always working on the cataloging."

Evelyn has been working on some paperwork. The Museum is open Monday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with members on hand to handle sales of post cards, calendars, books, etc., and to answer questions.

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

Does Your Town Have A First-Rate Website?

What does your town website say about you? Do you need to take a closer look at your town's website or ask your constituents to create one? Poorly designed and neglected websites hurt local businesses and organizations by presenting them to the world as sloppy and negligent. Also, most viewers don't realize those folks are not the ones neglecting their town's web pages. Webmasters and town councils control what is on a town's website,  and thus also deserve the blame.
The Rockford Webmasters' contract expires this month. Micki Harnois, the mayor of Rockford, Wash., asked the Town Council members and the audience at the June 1, 2011 meeting to take a look at websites of two nearby towns that are good examples: Palouse and Millwood. A year ago, Rockford officials engaged two teens, both Future Business Leaders of America members at Freeman High School, to create the town's website. Unfortunately, the officials lacked knowledge about websites and didn't first thoroughly investigate the websites of other towns in the Palouse region.

Whether websites are created well or poorly depends on the owner of the website. The reality is, a town's website carries its image to the world. Ineffectively designed and neglected websites hurt local businesses and organizations and the community in general.

A quick browse through town websites in the Palouse region shows that Rockford's town council members are not the only people who tackled challenges while lacking the resources to engage professional website designers. Sadly, too many of the towns in the Palouse that have websites have sites that are neglected and outdated, and represent the region poorly.

Each of the following could be improved:
Rosalia , Farmington , Rockford , Oakesdale . Spangle is a classic example of an out-of-date website.

St. John has an interesting and informative website. If dates on the EVENTS page included the year, visitors would know the website is up-to-date.

Better examples of how to represent a community with an informative, up-to-date, and attractive website can be found at: Palouse , Garfield , Tekoa , and Uniontown .

Palouse offers a free Newsletter subscription that provides news as it's happening, and is a remarkably well-presented, concise subscription. Ann Thompson, Deputy Clerk, deserves recognition and special thanks for her dedication and the fine job she does in keeping people informed via the Palouse Newsletter. Every town should have a 'Ann Thompson'!

If the following towns have a website, it's not readily found on the Internet: Belmont. Fairfield, Freeman, Latah, Malden and Mica. However, Hangman Creek Chamber of Commerce provides a web presence for a few Palouse area towns that lack websites, and does the job better than websites where data about many towns can be found, such as Wikipedia  and Hometown Locator .

Although minimally effective, local information can be found about towns without websites by searching the Internet: examples, Pine City , and the history ofValleyford Park

An analysis of Rockford's website, ten months after its debut, exposed the fact that local businesses and organizations had no knowledge of how to submit updates for the free web pages provided them on the town's website. Within a week after they learned of their responsibility to contact webmasters, Rockford showcased its new improved website.

Those in charge of their town's website are wise to further educate businesses and organizations in how to take advantage of Internet exposure the town provides, and encourage each entity to hop on the bandwagon, get effective exposure and keep their references up to date.

Free opportunities for promotion abound on the Internet. Education to optimize your presence is made available through free programs, including classes at local libraries, on the Internet, and at stores such as Best Buy, in Spokane Valley, Wash.

So if you want your town represented effectively, contact your town officials and urge (or remind) them to update their websites, and to assist you with informative information. Outdated websites hurt the reputation and economy of the entire north Palouse region. Creating and/or maintaining a first-rate website may present an opportunity for employment for someone in you area who understands websites and journalism, as well.

Contacts (*note, the following information may be outdated. Also, be aware that many towns do not reply to unsolicited email.)
Whitman County Library

Spokane County Library District .

BELMONT (unincorporated)
ENDICOTT
FAIRFIELD, City Hall (509) 283-2414, email: townoffairfield@rezmail.com
FARMINGTON, City Hall (509) 287-2500
FREEMAN (unincorporated)
GARFIELD, City Hall 509-635-1604, email: garfield-town@completebbs.com
LATAH, City Hall (509) 286-3471, email: "Heidi Turnbough" latahtown@gmail.com
MALDEN (unincorporated)
MICA (unincorporated)
OAKSDALE, townofoakesdale@msn.com
PALOUSE, cityclerk@palouse.com (Ann Thompson, Deputy Clerk), Mayor Michael Echanove, echanove@palouse.com.
PINE CITY (unincorporated)
PLAZA (unincorporated)
ROCKFORD, City Hall (509) 291-4716, email: mickiharnois@gmail.com;
Darlene@rockfordwa.com, or deputyclerk@rockfordwa.com.
ROSALIA, City Hall (509) 523-5991, email, clerk@townofrosalia.org.
SPANGLE, City Hall (509) 245-3260), email, pking@townofspangle.org. (Peggy Mangis, Clerk.)
STEPTOE (unincorporated)
ST. JOHN, email, sjpda@stjohncable.com.
TEKOA, (509) 284-3861; email, Kynda Browning, 4tekoa@palousenet.com (Tekoa clerk); mikebogie@hotmail.com (Mike Bogereis, Council Member Tekoa)
THORNTON (unincorporated)
UNIONTOWN, City Hall 509-229-3805; email: utown@inlandnet.com.
VALLEYFORD (unincorporated)
WAVERLY, City Hall (509) 283-4372.

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

Salish Songs and Stories Draws Crowd At Fairfield Library Branch

Eighteen people attended the June 23, 2011, 2:00 p.m. in the Fairfield Library branch of Spokane Library District to hear Sallish Songs and Stories, by LaRae Wiley.

Librarian, Bev Bergstrom, said, "We are thrilled!"

Everyone attending delighted in learning and listening to the gifted performer. Because a reporter from the Spokesman Review also attended, expect to see a complete recounting of the event in the Spokesman Review soon.

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

WSU Conducts PNW Cereal Crop Testing Program Tours

Washington State University researchers have been conducting cereal variety testing program tours throughout the Palouse region. June 21, 2011, approximately 25 producers attended the Fairfield tour sponsored by Crop Improvement.

Ken Fuchs, Customer Relations/Fieldman, Cooperative Agricultural Producers, Inc., (CO-AG) said,

"These tours are primarily looking at variety plots. There are some herbicide efficacy trials included as well depending upon who is conducting them.

"Variety plots are planted to evaluate and compare different varieties of wheat, barley, peas and lentils, and in some locations garbanzo beans, under similar soil condition and weather.

"The tours allow a producer, or anyone else for that matter, to compare how the different varieties will yield, or survive in the case of winter trial, when planted in that environment.

"This year, like last year we are evaluating how each variety is affected by the Wheat Stripe Rust epidemic which is hitting our area."

The PWN tours, scheduled from June 1 - July 13, 2011, take place in a variety of farming regions in Washington and elsewhere. Two upcoming tours are scheduled locally on July 13th; Farmington and St. John.

Call (509) 397-6290  to check with Steve Van Vleet prior to the tour to verify the time, location, and assure a place at the table if food is served.

Location maps and PNW crop-tour schedules for the WSU Cereal Variety trials are available online at http://variety.wsu.edu/, and at CO-AG offices.

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

Firemen Feted in Firemen Appreciation Day Chili Cook-Off

Although June 18, 2011 in Rockford was cool and definitely wet, more than two dozen people joined to fete local Firemen on the tree-shaded grounds of Rockford Park in the rural Washington town's first Firemen Appreciation Day. The covered banquet area was much appreciated.

Vivian Plank, Manger of Banner Bank, expressed the general feelings of participants when she said, "We had a ball!"

Chili Cook Off winners:
Sheila McCormic - Best Over-All Chili
Missy Boleck - Spiciest Chili
Nancy Kay Smith - Best Cornbread.

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

History of Valleyford Park + A Call For Histories of The Palouse WA Region

Although it's not always easy to locate the history of local landmarks your search can be rewarding. When I located the history of the beautiful little park, located on the Palouse Highway a short distance from On Sacred Grounds Coffeeshop, I wondered how many such histories go unrecorded. Read it here, http://tinyurl.com/6zjgalo.

Since the Valleyford Park history is linked to Freeman School District I suspect it was researched and published by that entity.

My request is: Please send me links to other online "histories" of the places, cemeteries, buildings, organizations, companies, people, etc., that make up the unique background of the Palouse region. I'll publish each link on FRONT page. That way the information will be archived, and in time the Archive will become an increasingly valuable historical asset to the region.

Also, if you write the history of a Palouse-regional place, person or event that has not been published and send it in a Word.rft or .doc file, along with permission to publish, it will become a FRONT page story, too.

Thanks to everyone who responds with a "history" to: newstnpw@air-pipe.com.

Mona Vanek, Editor

Computer Classes at Fairfield Library June 16 2011

June 16, 2011 the library at 305 E. Main, Fairfield, WA will offer a class in Web Basics. Class size is limited, so please call or stop by the library to register. 509-893-8320.

"Learn what a browser is and how to use it, three ways to access a website, and how to tell if a website is secure. We will go over the parts of a web address, the different types of web pages, how to effectively use a search engine and a web directory, and how to print only the pages you want."

To see more options, Visit Spokane County Library District, http://www.scld.org/. Click link Book a Computer and login.

Yoga and Movies in the Rockford Town Park - June 16, 2011

   YOGA CLASS IN ROCKFORD PARK

STARTING ON THURSDAY JUNE 16, 2011, AT 6:00 PM YOGA INSTRUCTOR VICKI PEARSON WILL BE OFFERING YOGA CLASSES FOR $5.00 PER PERSON IN THE ROCKFORD TOWN PARK.

BRING YOUR YOGA MAT AND WEAR COMFOTABLE CLOTHING. BRING YOUR MOTHER, FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER, AND CHILDREN. TELL ALL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

VICKI WILL INSTRUCT US IN BREATHING AND STRETCHING TECHNIQUES OF KOREAN YOGA.

MOVIES IN THE PARK WILL START AT DUSK.

ANY QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED TO SUZI RISKEN AT DANITARISKEN@YAHOO,COM OR TO PETE ABBEY AT 291-3880. SUZI RISKEN AT 291-3023.

I HOPE YOU WILL COME OUT AND JOIN US FOR THIS HEALTH OPPORTUNITY!!! LIFE GIVES YOU BACK WHAT YOU HELP PUT INTO IT!

*Check with Suzi -- if weather is keeping the ground too soggy June 16th! 

The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, http://www.palousenewscast.com/

Author Pepper O'Neal Mortified by Released Copy of Blood Fest: Chasing Destiny

Pepper O'Neal is mortified, and so is her publisher, Black Opal Books. The publishing company unknowingly released a draft copy of Blood Fest: Chasing Destiny, a Paranormal Romantic Suspense, which went into book stores on April 30, 2011.

On their website, Black Opal Books wrote:

"WE HAVE DISCOVERED A TEMP WORKER UPLOADED A DRAFT COPY OF PEPPER O'NEAL'S BLOOD FEST: CHASING DESTINY TO OUR EBOOK DISTRIBUTORS. THIS COPY HAD NOT BEEN THROUGH A FINAL EDIT OR PROOFING & IS RIDDLED WITH TYPOS. ANYONE WHO PURCHASED THIS BOOK BETWEEN APRIL 30 & JUNE 3, 2011, PLEASE CONTACT US TO RECEIVE A FREE COPY & A 50%-OFF COUPON FOR ANOTHER OF OUR BOOKS."

http://www.blackopalbooks.com/index.php/blood-fest-chasing-destiny