Articles written by Reid Thompson


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  • Whitman County crop yield dips below 10-year average

    Reid Thompson, The Journal|Updated Aug 17, 2023

    ST. JOHN - As harvest season wraps up in the Palouse, farmers are reporting a less-than-impressive crop yield in the face of high heat and low precipitation. Cory Christensen, Grain Merchant at Northwest Grain Growers, expressed concerns about the adverse effects of the lack of timely rains and early spring heat on this year's wheat crop. "We've seen yields reduced to 75-85% of the 10-year average and elevated proteins in the areas in those same fields," he said. The reliance...

  • Bull mutilated near Rock Lake

    Reid Thompson, Cheney Free Press|Updated May 25, 2023

    ROCK LAKE – A local rancher is perplexed by the castration and slaughter of one of his bulls on or about May 12. Rancher Rod Mills, the owner of R&J Ranch and Livestock, was notified that one of his bulls had been slaughtered in an unusual fashion that day, according to Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reports. The next day, Mills went out to inspect the carcass himself, finding that the bull had been shot and castrated. The Spokane County Cattlemen’s Association is offering a $1,000 reward for information on the bull’s killin...

  • Bull mutilated near Rock Lake

    Reid Thompson, Cheney Free Press|Updated May 25, 2023

    ROCK LAKE – A local rancher is perplexed by the castration and slaughter of one of his bulls on or about May 12. Rancher Rod Mills, the owner of R&J Ranch and Livestock, was notified that one of his bulls had been slaughtered in an unusual fashion that day, according to Whitman County Sheriff’s Office reports. The next day, Mills went out to inspect the carcass himself, finding that the bull had been shot and castrated. The Spokane County Cattlemen’s Association is offering a $1,000 reward for information on the bull’s killin...

  • Rock Lake area fires extinguished

    Reid Thompson, Whitman County Gazette|Updated Aug 18, 2022

    PINE CITY - Volunteer firefighters from across the county were pitted against two wildfires this past week, successfully extinguishing both with the help of state fire services. On Thursday, Aug. 11, volunteers from Rosalia's Whitman County Fire District 7 were tasked with investigating the source of smoke in the Hole in the Ground area north of Rock Lake. The responders located a growing fire burning in rocky and timbered terrain that reportedly made access difficult. Nearby...