August Upcoming Events on the Palouse

Endicott, http://www.sje.wednet.edu/ourcommunities.html.

Fairfield Museum. Fairfield Library.

The third Tuesday of each month senior lunches and historical society meetings. Senior Lunch, at noon, at the Fairfield Community Center, corner of Main and Johnson. Across the street, at 1:30 p.m., the South East Spokane County Historical Society and Museum meets at East 301 Main St. Both buildings are wheelchair accessible.

August 11, 2011, VFW, Fairfield Community Center.

Farmington: http://www.farmingtonwa.com/. Farmington Country Manor, 1884. Washington & 5th. Gorgeous! Nice town park, tallest wood flagpole, etc. Community Center\ Library, Main St. Farmington, WA 99128. (509) 287-2500. Hours: Tuesday 1-5 pm; Thursday 2-6 pm. Storytime at 2:00 pm on Tuesdays.

Garfield, http://garfieldwa.com/.

Palouse Library 120 East Main Street. Check regularly for events in Palouse, http://www.visitpalouse.com/events.html.

Palouse community yard sale, August 6, 2011. Maps available at downtown businesses. Sign up at City Hall, ...

Whitman County Humane Society Board Meeting, Monday, August 15, 2011, 5:30p.m. Contact 509-332-2246 for location.

Palouse Chamber of Commerce Community Development Meeting, Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 6:00pm. Contact palousechamber@visitpalouse.com.

August, first Tuesday, National Night Out at Palouse City Park. A family event sponsored by the Palouse Block Watch will include displays of fire trucks, police equipment and all the emergency services that keep our small towns safe and comfortable places to live. Music, raffles and family fun.

Roy Chatters Newspaper & Printing Museum Open every Saturday from 10 to 2, or anytime, by appointment.

Rockford: August 5-6, 2011, HOT ROCKFORD NIGHTS Cruz-in Car Show. 5th-Movie, Ballfield, 500 S, First St.: 6th-Car Show, Town Park, 200 S. First St.

August 10, 2011, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Rockford Community Center Grand Opening, 299 1/2 1st. St.

August 15, 2011, SESCF Meeting in the Park.

August 19, 2011, 5:00 p.m. - August 20, 2011, Family Campout in Rockford Park.

August 27, 2011, 6:00 p.m. - 10 p.m. SESCF Benefit dance in the Park, (509) 291 4716.

August 28, 2011, 11:30 a.m. Community Potluck in Rockford Park. Everyone welcome. Sponsored by RCC.

 Rosalia, http://www.tourtheinlandnw.com/EasternWACities/Rosalia.htm

Motorcycle Rally in Rosalia Held in mid-August. More than 20 world famous bike builders attend. A two-and-a-half-day event with builder and dealer displays, live concerts in the park, scenic byway bike tours and vendors of all kinds. Motorcycle Rally in Rosalia Held in mid-August. More than 20 world famous bike builders attend. A two-and-a-half-day event with builder and dealer displays, live concerts in the park, scenic byway bike tours and vendors of all kinds.

Rosalis Museum is located inside Rosalia City Hall. Museum hours: Monday-Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. - 3:d0 p.m.; Thursday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

St. John, http://www.stjohnwa.com./

Show & Shine, Boats on display downtown St John on Main Street, 5:00 p.m August 26, 2011. 

Sprint Boat Races, August 27, 2011, http://www.webbsslough.com/home.html.

St. John: 2nd Annual Bob Zorb Senior Golf Tournament, August 25th & 26, 2011. Individual stroke play for 50 & over. contact 509-648-3719~509-648-4166.

Tekoa, http://www.tekoawa.com/. annual rodeo. Tekoa Farmers Market, on Saturdays June through September features homemade goods from across the region.
Tekoa Treasures Flea Market Saturday and Sunday afternoons, bargains galore.

The Tekoa Museum With artifacts, memorabilia and photos dating back to the 1800's.

Garfield Beautification Contest Deadline Approaching

The Town of Garfield, Washington’s Planning Commission invited the public to participate in a town-wide beautification contest during the summer of 2011. The Town of Garfield, Washington’s Planning Commission invited the public to participate in a town-wide beautification contest during the summer of 2011.

Projects for the contest include property repairs, painting, landscaping or cleaning up a piece of property. The Planning Commission will award a cash prize of fifty dollars ($50) to the first place winner, providing that least twenty (20) entries are submitted. In the event that fifty (50) or more entries are received, the cash prize will be doubled.

The end of September deadline is fast approaching when the prize money will be awarded.

See Rules application, deadline and awards.

Palouse, Wash., Community Center Ground-Breaking August 4, 2011

Palouse Community Center Ground-Breaking

Thursday, August 4, 2011, 5:30 p.m. Call City Hall, 509-878-1811, for location.

Everyone is invited! Come help us celebrate!

Spokane County Fire District No. 2 Secretary Job Opening, Fairfield, Wash.

Below is a posting for the District Secretary position for our fire department.  Please contact me if you have any questions, Fire District No. 2 Secretary Connie Barratt <fairfieldbarratt@gmail.com>.

Spokane County Fire District No. 2 in Fairfield, Wash., is currently looking to fill the position of District Secretary.  This is a part-time (20=30 hrs per month) position.  Duties include, but are not limited to, accounts payable, payroll, reports and meeting minutes for monthly meeting, annual reports to Washington State, ambulance run reports filed with Washington State and ambulance billing company.  Basic accounting or business background would be helpful but not necessary.  Accounting software is BIAS, which is used by many municipalities and fire districts throughout the state.

An application can be obtained at Town of Fairfield office - (509) 283-2414 -  or by contacting Brian Tiegs at tiegsfarmsinc@cougarwireless.net.  Compensation is DOE.

Palouse Regional Library News August 1-7, 2011

Once each year all fourteen branches of Whitman County libraries close for annual computer and building maintenance. Libraries closed August 1-7, 2011 include Albion, Colfax, Colton, Endicott, Farmington, Garfield, LaCrosse, Malden, Oakesdale, Palouse, Rosalia, St. John, Tekoa, and Uniontown.

For more information visit, Whitman County Library

Spokane County Library branch at Fairfield will maintain regular hours. August 2, 2011 features include 10:30 a.m., Play & Learn Storytime (ages 2-5):  an hour of fun, stories, songs and fingerplays followed by activities that explore the concepts of math, science, art and literacy. 1:00 p.m. Wii Are Gaming Get your game on, grab your favorite wii games.  or board games, & come to the library for an afternoon of games & snacks.  The branch provides the wii, the munchies, and a few games to share; you bring your friends!  (Rated E for everyone or T for Teen only, please. Grades 6 and up.)

Visit, Spokane County Library

Senior Discounts Listed at Sciddy.com

Why not save 10%, 20%, 30% on the things you purchase regularly? Sciddy.com, created especially for senior citizens 55 years young and older, is the place to start. Some businesses offer discounts to 50 year olds, too.

"Businesses are increasingly customizing their maketing plans to recognize this group and Sciddy.com strives to provide the most complete, accurage and up-to-date listing of senior dicounts and promotions for good and services, by adding new discounts and updating existing deals daily," so Sciddy.com proclaims. "Sciddy.com has the ability to save seniors 10-15% on their retail purchases."

Sciddy also solicits discount information, Visit their site, or to schedule an interview send an email to jim.cox@sciddy.com or mike.hiller@sciddy.com.

There's no need to subscribe or collect coupons, and Sciddy.com is searchable by town, distance and service or business, and is worth checking out for discounts.

The Power of Email FWDs On Social Changes

Now and then most people receive an email Forward (FWD) containing worthy ideas, and they pass them along to friends and acquaintances, and thus social changes evolve -- sometimes slowly, sometimes at lightening speed.

The FWD included here is one such that I feel very strongly merits serious consideration, thus I'm taking the liberty to publish it as my way of reaching as many people as possible. Readers are invited to share their forwards with The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast via a blog (*See Contact & Submit page for rules.)

This is the nitty gritty of one worthwhile idea that many Americans really believe should be enacted, and the idea is circulating widely via a FWD. (If you read to the end you'll see how I passed it along, too, with a modification.)   Mona Vanek, Editor,  The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, www.palousenewscast.com.

Here's the basic pitch of the FWD:

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits.

• 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
• A. Two Six-year Senate terms
• B. Six Two-year House terms
• C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.

• A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

• All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into theSocial Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

Below is the The Lets do this ....  FWD  (feel free to copy and pass it along.)

Lets do this - - - -

(I didn't devise this idea, but I modified the FWD I received - see highlighted text - to include taking action that might help: Send the request to elected officials in hopes that some of them will agree and take action. Mona Vanek, Editor, The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast, www.palousenewscast.com.)

I am not sure this is exactly the right formula.  There could be some constitutional and legal issues here that need to be addressed also.  12 years may be too long but the point here is to begin the

dialogue.  We need to rethink part of our system.  For the most part, it is the greatest form of government ever devised but our Founders never expected our Representatives to be full time legislators. The issue here is to get people thinking and pushing for some sort of change.  There are term limits on the presidency (22nd Amendment), so there is a precedent for this already.  Read this, think about it, come up with your own suggestions and pass it on. This is something I believe in and I hope you read it all the way through and then take action .... don't just forward it to friends ...

Please consider sending a copy of the following "Congressional Reform Act of 2011" to all elected government officials if you agree. You can locate them here, http://www.usa.gov/Contact.shtml.


The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail,

before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into theSocial Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
End of FWD.

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

Palouse, Washinton's Wooly Mammoth Vandalized Sunday

A life-size Wooly Mammoth, constructed by a local artist years ago on Main Street in Palouse, Wash., was set afire and left unattended to burn. The Fire Chief was contacted and put out the fire. Anyone with information concerning the ARSON fire that burned the Woolly Mammoth on East Main Street Sunday evening is encouraged to contact the Palouse Police Department immediately.

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

Candidate Rosalia Town Council - Rick Lau

This is an ongoing series of responses received from candidates in the north Palouse region who are invited to present their views to inform voters. Please feel free to contact Rick with your questions.
The Editor

My name is Rick Lau, I am currently running for Rosalia Town Council position #2.

Elected experience none at present time.

I am a resident of the town of Rosalia for the past 16 years

Member of Rosalia Fire and Ambulance as Firefighter / Advance EMT, I joined the department in 1997.

I attend Rosalia United Methodist Church.

Married to wife Marie for 15 years.

Employed by Northwest Medstar as an EMT.

Grew up in Coeur d Alene ID, graduated Coeur d Alene High School 1985. AAS Degree in computer aided drafting, ITT Tech 1993.

Issues that we are facing are some of the same ones many of our small towns face. Having to do more with less. Lack of business, residents having to commute to larger cities for work. In general, rural towns are a dying breed. However I believe we can reverse the trend.

• By joining with other organizations within the town.
• Begin to promote the town to the small business owner and to new families looking for affordable housing.

One reason I am running for office, I believe that elected officials are accountable to the people that elected them to office. It is the responsibility of the elected person to keep their constituents informed. That is not happening in Rosalia. That is why I chose my statement "Our Town Your Voice." It is my intent to keep the residents inform of what the council is doing. Keeping the town's website up to date. At current time the website list Ken Jacobs as Mayor. Jim Stenhouse has been mayor for the past two years. The last council minutes posted is dated 2004.

  

Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. Be sure to check out my facebook page at,

www.facebook.com/pages/RickLauforTownCouncil.

Rick Lau

121 S. Whitman Ave.

Rosalia, WA 99170
(509) 523-6200; rickalau@hotmail.com

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

Commissioner, Fire Protection District 3 Candidate - Chuck Petras

This begins an ongoing series of responses received from candidates in the north Palouse region who are invited to present their views to inform voters. Please feel free to contact Chuck with your questions.
The Editor

Chuck Petras, candidate for the position of Commissioner, Fire Protection District 3:

Statement
Major challenges going forward are financial, equipment, and property value decline.

Two issues are especially pressing: equipment maintenance due to the aging of the fleet; and the inevitable increase in the cost of fuel and everything else.

Since most of the vehicles are diesel powered, we should form a buying coop and encourage local production of oil seed crops for biodiesel production. This would help keep our limited dollars here in the county, as opposed to going overseas to countries that don't like us much.

We need to get really aggressive on finding grant money to help replace what we’ve got. The Fire District typically takes in about $25K in tax revenue a year (which pretty much covers operating expenses). One of the most important pieces of firefighting apparatus a rural district can have is a tender (water truck). Our district has one of limited capacity that is only available part of the year.

These issues need to solved: Transparency (we need an annual district report and web page to make it publicly available). Fire station (need a building that can house all the fire apparatus - the Town of Garfield is actively working on this). Improve our fire insurance protection classification (to lower our insurance rates). Volunteers.

Biography
Elected Experience – None at this time.
Other Professional Experience – Thirty years as an engineer. Presently a research engineer at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. Registered as a Professional Engineer (PE) in Oregon.
Education – Bachelors’ degree in electrical engineering.
Community Service – Volunteer fireman with the Garfield / District 3 Fire Departments.Chuck Petras
2302 Walters Rd
Farmington, WA 99128
Home: 509-635-1502
Cell: 509-991-0613

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

McIntosh Grangers Active in Ways Beneficial to Rockford Community

Grange member, Kathy Creed, provided the following news roundup for McIntosh Grange, which shows the Grange at 319 S. First Street, Rockford, Wash., always has a lot going on.

July 22 thru July 25, 2011 members will be at the Shrag rest area, west of Spokane, Wash., serving coffee and cookies to raise money for many of their projects.

July 31 through August 6, 2011 is Camp for children ages 9 to 14. Held at CAMP NEWA (NE Washington Jr. Grange Camp), 2580 Pend Oreille Lake Road Colville, Wash., under the guidance of Carol Evans, Camp Director, it's a week of fun, adventure and some socializing for both the youth and the camp chaperones. 

"It's not to late to get your child signed up; just call Carol at 509-535-1165. Some discounts are still available," Kathy said.

McIntosh Grange members also plan Political Forums for the upcoming elections, with the dates to be announced soon. The agenda will be the same as their past forums, and letters of invitation are being sent to candidates for elected positions in Rockford, plus all candidates on the ballot.

August 6, 2011, Grange members will be serving breakfast and lunch from their food booth at the park for the Car Rally in Rockford that the Lions are putting on.

Sunday Breakfast and Tuesday Bingo are on hiatus for the time being, but both will return in October -- after grange members have fulfilled their commitments to camp, and the annual Spokane County Interstate Fair and the Southeast Spokane County Fair in Rockford. McIntosh Grange has display booths at both fairs, and also has a food booth at the SESCF.

There's been a Thursday group of Grangers (plus some non-Grangers) sewing party at McIntosh Grange Hall. They've been making pillows for the TROOPS and blankets and soft footballs for the Foster Children Program. While cutting, organizing and machine stitching the gals have fun and share camaraderie, turning hours of work into 'having a good time.' 

"Grangers work diligently to benefit the community, and earlier this year decorated and donated the use of their Hall for the SESCF Queen's Pageant," Kathy said. "October 3 thru the 5th, Grangers will be at the Sprague rest area again serving cookies and coffee for another fund raiser. They'll also be holding their annual Halloween Party October 31st for the wee ones of Rockford and surrounding area. The children play games for candy and prizes. It's great fun for kids, parents, grandparents and anyone with a young spirit."

The Grange has many contests throughout the year, from canning to poetry, which anyone can enter. They also have many scholarships available for students. Contact a local Granger for more information. Grange meets 1st & 3rd Mondays, 7:00 p.m. at McIntosh Grange Hall, corner of First and Lake, Rockford, Wash. Contact Susan Hegney, (509) 995-7001 or Carol Evans, (509) 535-1165. 

"The members of McIntosh Grange are so proud, also, because their hard work from the last few years has helped them upgrade the front steps and the entryway to the Grange Hall. If you haven't seen the stairs yet, please take a look the next time you drive by.

"Well I think that's it for now folks. That's all I can think of." Granger Kathy.

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

 

Rockford, Wash., Community Center Opens at New Location

Residents of Rockford and vicinity can celebrate the achievement of dedicated area residents who have worked for several years to bring to fruition a long-held dream - a Rockford Community Center - where people of all ages can gather.

Rockford Community Center is now open at their new location, 229 1/2 S. 1st. Street. on Mondays and Wednesdays: 10:a.m. - 2 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.  It will be open more days and hours as staff is available.

Anyone interested in volunteering to staff the Center can call Mary-Lou (509) 291-3146, or Vivian, (509) 892-4412 or (509) 291-3722. (*Must be at least 21 years old to be a 'staffer.' Background checks are done on all staffers.)

RCC offers computers, a pool table, games, TV, books, etc.

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

Irresponsibles Abusing Palouse, Wash., Chipper Site

Irresponsible people are frequently abusing the chipper/compost facility in Palouse, Wash., to the point where continuation of the service is in major jeopardy of being discontinued.

Recently, three public works crewmembers chipped from 9:30 a.m until 3:30 p.m., taking much longer than it should have and thus costing the city too much time and money, and taking valuable staff time away from other projects. That day's unwanted but dumped debris included miscellaneous junk, including a metal yard ornament, trash bags, bottles, cans and bottles, a shrub with root ball, and a log with multiple nails sticking out of it. The nails especially were dangerous and would have caused costly damage, had the log gotten into the chipper. Root balls belong in your trash, not the chipping facility. Also, extra large juniper bushes that don't fit in the chipper forced the crew to lift and load them by hand and haul them off.

"As residents who purchased chipper/compost permits know, the facility is a great asset for residents of Palouse," a city spokesperson said. "We don’t want anything that won't fit into our chipper. Everything that you dump in the chipper pile should be able to fit into the chipper AS IS. We implore you to be prudent with your dumping, re-read your permit and instructions, and call with questions. Also, please report any abuse to City Hall.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Unfortunately, all it takes is a few abusers to ruin it for everyone and city staff realize it’s only a handful of people abusing the site," the spokesperson said.

Palouse Public Works Supt. Griffin will be discussing the feasibility of continuing the program with City Council.

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

Invitation to Palouse Regional Candidates

The 2011 Primary election date is the 3^rd Tuesday in August, little more than a month away, on August 16, 2011. Each candidate who has filed for an office, including incumbent candidates and anyone who plans to be a write-in-candidate for an elected office is invited to send his or her views to the Editor at newstnpw@air-pipe.com to be published. (Residence in one of the north Palouse towns required. *See TOWNS page.)

Recent circulation figures show that The North Palouse Washington e-Newscast has steadily gained a following of readers interested in the Palouse region. If you are a candidate will you help them know their candidates by accepting this invitation to share your views and expectations for the office you seek?  If you know a candidate, will you share this invitation with them?

Readers will be interested in the following: 

• What are the duties of the office you want?
• In what priority do rank the duties?
• Are you the incumbent? (For how long?)
• Is there something you especially hope to accomplish while in office?
• Include your background, CV, bio or resume.
• Also include whatever else you'd like voters to know.

Write up to about 500 or so words and e-mail (or publish your views in a blog and send the link)  to: newstnpw@air-pipe.com. (*Adhere to CONTACT/SUBMIT page restrictions and please put CANDIDATE in your email SUBJECT: line.)

The resulting series of 'candidate feature' articles, published (or linked) on FRONT page, will encourage voting by informed electors.

A candidate forum is planned at McIntosh Grange, Rockford, WA, and will be announced this week, according to Grange member, Kathy Creed.

 

FAQ provides election information here, Elections FAQ
 

Construction is Underway on Self-Help Housing in Palouse, Washington

PALOUSE, Wash. – Construction is underway on the Self-Help Housing Project in Palouse, Washington.  Self-Help Housing is a program offered by Community Action Center in Pullman.  The program helps moderate to low income families in Whitman County become homeowners without a down payment and an affordable monthly mortgage payment. 

It works like this: Community Action Center plans the entire build process and provides additional contractor support and labor.  The future homeowner contributes to their down payment with Sweat Equity.  They learn easy tasks like painting, landscaping, and clean-up.  Community Action Center provides the needed materials and training to complete their work.  The homeowner only provides the labor and tools, and they have the ability to move into a new home without a down payment.  The estimated out-of-pocket expense to the homeowner is approximately $2,000 for closing costs.  Community Action Center also works with the home buyer to find a low or moderate interest loan so the monthly mortgage payment is something the family can afford.  The homeowner is able to complete the tasks at their own pace. 

The Community is welcome to stop by the building site and see what could be their neighborhood.  A family of two adults will contribute a minimum of 100 hours finishing their new home.  The site is off of

Palouse Cove Road

and Route Sixty Six in Palouse.  The neighborhood is a five minute walk to downtown Palouse, with easy access to the surrounding communities.  The homes are one or two stories, have three or four bedrooms, and each has a beautiful view of the rolling hills of the Palouse.  Prices start at just 172,500 dollars. 

People may pick up an application at the building site, download one online at http://www.whitmanhomeowner.org/, or they can call Community Action Center, 509-334-9147. 

Community Action Center is located at

350 SE Fairmont Road #1

, in Pullman.