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Outlook The Othello

PUBLISHED SINCE 1947 • HOME OF THE SANDHILL CRANE FESTIVAL • WWW.OTHELLOOUTLOOK. COM • VOL. 73 NO. 29 • 75¢

T H U R S D AY, J U LY 16 , 2 0 0 9 Thursday

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Children’s poet Kenn Nesbitt makes the kids laugh at the Othello Community Library last Thursday.

Children interact with poet at library By LuAnn Morgan Contributing writer

Kenn Nesbitt’s hippo has the hiccups and his puppy punched him in the eye. Not really. Those topics were part of several poems Nesbitt read to the children at Othello Community Library last Thursday.

His visit was one of the events planned for the Summer Reading Program this year. Nesbitt is a poet, but not just any poet. He writes prose specifically designed to enchant children. His latest book “My Hippo Has the Hiccups and Other Poems I Totally Made Up” hit the shelves a mere two

months ago. He began his reading session with poems from that book. He also read poems from some of his other books – “Revenge of the Lunch Ladies,” “Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney,” “The Aliens Have Landed At Our School” and “When the Teacher Isn’t Looking.”

His poems also grace the pages of several anthologies. Nesbitt was born and raised in California. He now lives in Spokane with his wife Ann, their son Max and daughter Madison. His children are often the inspiration for his poetry. “I once heard my daughter yell from the other room, ‘Don’t ever See Poet, Page A6

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Three vie for mayor position By LuAnn Morgan Contributing writer

Photo by LuAnn Morgan

Sunday

On Aug. 18, residents of Adams County will have the opportunity to vote in the primary election. One of the key items on the ticket for Othello residents will be to select a new mayor. Th ree council members are running for the position of mayor. Current mayor Shannon McKay has opted not to run for re-election. Ballots will be mailed from Ritzville on July 31. Eleanor Brodahl would like to see the com mu n it y develop a climate that supEleanor ports existing Brodahl business and encourages new business to locate in Othello. “I believe this can best be achieved with open cooperation between public agencies, such as the Port of Othello and the city,” she said. Brodahl was born in Wyoming to a family who for six generations has worked in agriculture in the U.S. The family moved to Othello in 1967.

“When my parents became unable to care for their large family, I went to live in Washtucna with the Sullivan family,” she said. “My dad Syd Sullivan has served for many years as mayor of Washtucna and instilled in his children a sense of responsibility for community service.” An American of Hispanic descent, Brodahl has served on the Othello City Council for 14 years. She also serves on the board of Adams County Community Network. In the past, she served as treasurer on the board of the Adams County Economic Development Council, assisting clients with applications for bank fi nancing. She said her education and experience in banking and business development provides her with a clear perspective in fiscal management and budgeting processes. “I have a reputation as a council member who asks many questions about items that come before the council,” Brodahl said. “I believe the council is responsible for making informed decisions that affect the future of the community.” Brodahl said she is opposed See Mayor, Page A5

CBHA offers special services for people dealing with diabetes By LuAnn Morgan Contributing writer

For the past few years, staff at Columbia Basin Health Association has been putting together a program to help diabetic patients at the clinic. The goal is to provide qual-

ity assessment on how a patient is doing in all aspects of treatment and care. “Our whole organization is involved. From the nurses to the doctors and including eye care, dental services, the pharmacy and mental health,” said Dulce Field. “There has been a

lot about diabetes in the news lately and it touches every part of our organization.” Field said CBHA has a lot of resources available free of charge for people with diabetes. And the services can also be used for those who need help in other areas, such diet consultations or

fighting high cholesterol. Some of the services provided include a nutritionist, meds assistance, transportation services, prescription delivery and patient benefits. The focus, however, is on diabetes. Heather Martinez, registered

nurse, said the clinic sees about 1,300 diabetic patients. The program the clinic has developed provides a clinical measures dashboard to help track how successful treatment is. “The measures are based on who was seen the previous month,” Martinez said.

Martinez said litt le is known about why some people develop diabetes. “There have been a lot of studies,” she said. “We know how to diagnose it and how to treat it, but we don’t know why someone has it.” See Diabetes, Page A6

Original owner of The Pizza Factory is back and ready for business By Bob Kirkpatrick Staff writer Yolanda Voorhies-Rodriguez is back as the proprietor of The Pizza Factory and vows to return the business into the fun-filled family-oriented establishment of days gone by. “It was the fi rst pizza parlor in Othello,” she said. “I remember when people used to be lined up for blocks waiting to get in.” The Pizza Factory, founded in 1971, has been in the Voorhies family for 38 years. Over that time period, the name has changed three times and so has its managers. “It’s been called The Pizza Factory, Ted’s Pizza and The Pizza Place,” Alfie Voorhies, Yolanda’s oldest son, said. In 1996, Ted Voorhies and his wife Yolanda were forced to move to out of the area because of Ted’s failing health, and thus began a string of new management and name changes. “Ted had been suffering from emphysema for 20 years and was advised by his physician to move to a warmer climate,” Yolanda said. “So we moved to McAllen, Texas, and let Alfie run the business.” Alfie left the business in

2001 because of personal and fi nancial reasons and business was managed by nonfamily members for eight years and the name of the established changed twice. First to Ted’s Pizza and then, to The Pizza Place. The ambiance and quality of product changed too, Alfie said. “Last couple of people who had it ran the place into the ground and the pizza was lousy,” he said. “They didn’t change the menu, but they changed a lot of the ingredients we were using and the place didn’t seem as family oriented as it was.” Ted died in December 2003. And with her mother’s health failing, Yolanda spent the last five years at her side in McAllen. After her death in August, she moved back to Othello. “When I got back to town, I starting making plans to sell the business,” she said. “But once I saw the place and how run-down it had become, I had to try and revive it.” Yolanda said it was obvious the last manager of the business had neglected his commitment to her and the community. “He wasn’t around much and left other people to run it and make all the decisions,” she said. “You can’t run a piz-

za business that way. When my husband was here, he was the fi rst person you saw when you walked in the door and the last person you saw when you left.” Th at familiar face and work ethic created a special atmosphere. “Everybody liked coming here and Ted was so good to the kids,” Yolanda said. “He had teenagers work their way through college who came back to visit him all the time.” And that is precisely the environment Yolanda and Alfie are hoping to re-create. “We want to get back to the good old days where everyone knows everyone who walks in the door,” Alfie said. “And we’re going back to the original recipe … Ted’s recipe and do it the way I was taught. We’ll only be using handmade dough, our own sauce, special order pepperoni, freshly ground cheeses; nothing artificial or pre-made.” The name of the establishment is going back to it roots also and will be known once again as The Pizza Factory and will be owned and operated by Yolanda. Photo by Bob Kirkpatrick “Jordan and Tyler, Alfie’s boys, are now helping out, It’s a family affair again as the Voorhies return to manage The Pizza Factory. Pictured from left are Tyler, Yolanda, See Pizza, Page A6 Alfie , Jordan and Ted.

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Ariel Garza

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