2023 One year ago
Moscow Contemporary was filled with residents of the Palouse awaiting a one-night-only exhibition. What was the topic? Gay rodeos. Although the wine and drinks bar was a perk of the event, it was gay rodeo participant Nicholas Villanueva Jr. who brought interest to the community. “They said maybe 10 or 15 people will show up, so this is a little overwhelming,” Villanueva Jr. said. More than 50 people ended up attending the talk. With the help of his husband navigating the presentation of the night, Villanueva Jr. went through the history of the Gay Rodeo Association, with backstories on Phil Ragsdale, the founder of gay rodeos in 1976, and the equality that this association brings for the LGBTQ+ community. ... The University of Idaho provided what could only be described as an emotional and surreal moment for the entire Palouse track and field community. Jill and Matt McCluskey were present for the ribbon cutting and the official dedication ceremony for the new Lauren McCluskey Track inside the Kibbie Dome during the fourth annual Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open. Lauren McCluskey, a former University of Utah track standout, was murdered on Oct. 22, 2018, by a man she briefly dated. Lauren McCluskey grew up in Pullman and was a Washington state high school state champion in the high jump.
2019 Five years ago
Inclusivity was one of the main themes of the Women’s March of the Palouse as women, men and children marched to and gathered at Moscow’s East Side Park to preach equality and justice. Moscow resident Amy Kingston brought her 5-year-old son to the march, as she did during last year’s event. She said it is important to show her son a world with equality — where men and women can be free to live the life they choose — is better off for it. “That’s the future I want for him,” she said. About a thousand people braved the chilly, wet weather to join the march with friends and loved ones. ... Making connections with others can be one of the most effective ways to curb racism and prejudice, according to the guest speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Breakfast at Moscow Middle School. Shirley Jackson, a professor and chair of black studies at Portland State University, was invited to speak about the importance of diversity at the event organized by the Latah County Human Rights Task Force.
2014 10 years ago
The organization may only be one month old officially, but Peggy Jenkins has been helping local students and families prepare for college for several years. When her son, Daniel, was inquiring about SAT prep classes, Jenkins couldn’t find any. She looked from Moscow to Spokane for a public class before they settled on Princeton Review online. “It made a huge difference for him,” Jenkins said. “I was pretty hot on figuring out something that could be done in the area.” ... Pullman High School tight end Ben Moos rarely paid much attention to his statistics last season. Others were. That was evident on New Year’s Eve when he learned he had been selected to the MaxPreps.com all-freshman All-American team. “A friend of mine from Spokane texted me a picture of the list,” Moos said. “It was surreal because it was the first big award I had won. I felt like it wasn’t real, but I went and looked it up and it was.”
