The City of Palouse recently fired its longtime police chief after an investigation found evidence he had failed to respond to a 911 call, claimed overtime pay for callouts he did not respond to in person and issued concealed pistol licenses without completing proper background checks.
Category: Local News
Lawsuits, internal investigations and WSU Athletics: Our most-read stories of 2021
Local legal disputes, personnel investigations and COVID-19 responses again drove much of our coverage in 2021 as we look back on some of our most-read and unique stories. As in previous years, we want to provide an annual review of our most impactful reporting and share operational background for transparency.
Pullman councilman accuses WSU athletic director of threatening him over party video
A Pullman City Councilman has accused the Washington State University athletic director of verbally attacking him and threatening his businesses over a social media video of a party at the athletic director’s home.
Voters Guide Fall 2021: Local city council and hospital board candidate questionnaires
Whitman County Watch emailed questionnaires on local issues to candidates in Pullman, Colfax and Palouse city council and hospital board races. We have published their unedited responses along with links to addition coverage of campaigns, ballot measures and voter registration information.
Local agencies report staff vaccination rates, City of Pullman seeks deadline extension
The City of Pullman has requested an extension of the vaccination deadline for staff who serve the WSU campus while Whitman County, Pullman schools and local hospitals continue finalizing their employees’ certifications in the last days ahead of the Oct. 18 deadline.
Lumberyard restaurant settles 2019 lawsuit over alleged wage theft, missed breaks
Lumberyard Food Hall in Pullman recently agreed to a $190,000 class action settlement with former employees who filed suit in 2019 over alleged wage theft, required break violations and other workplace complaints.
WSU files $63 million lawsuit against its insurance company over COVID-19 losses
Washington State University has filed a $63 million lawsuit against its insurance provider for allegedly failing to pay out proper coverage for financial losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wildfire incident tracking and smoke forecast resources for the Whitman County region
As wildfires and the resulting smoke strike the Inland Northwest again this summer here are a number of online resources for finding reliable fire information as well as checking forecasts on smoke and air quality impacts throughout the region.
Salary commission approves 7 percent raises for county officials, 10 percent for sheriff
A citizen commission voted Tuesday to recommend 7 percent salary increases for most county-level elected officials as well as a 10 percent raise for the sheriff in 2022 to “catch up” after freezing pay rates last year due to the financial upheaval of the pandemic.
Local companies allege Elevate housing developer failed to pay on previous projects
A California-based development company that has sought approval to annex property and build high-density student housing in Pullman faces multiple claims in court that it allegedly failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to local contractors for previous construction work.