Lewiston Tribune selects new newsroom leader

Matt Baney, a Lewiston native who started working for the Lewiston Tribune when he was 19, was recently named the newspaper’s managing editor.

Baney had served as the interim managing editor since April, when Craig Clohessy retired from the position. Baney will oversee a newsroom staff of about 25 full- and part-time employees that produces the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

“This is a challenging time in the newspaper business, but also an exciting time,” Baney said. “We are still committed to producing a robust print edition for our longtime subscribers, but we’re also trying to bring new readers into the fold with a more engaging online offering.”

Baney is an outstanding person who understands that the Tribune and the Daily News belong to the readers and the communities they serve, said Nathan Alford, editor and publisher of the Tribune and Daily News.

He has the fiber and journalistic foundation to lead the Tribune and Daily News newsrooms into the future, Alford said.

“Most importantly, (Baney) has the passion,” Alford said. “He has the passion and curiosity to explore the new information ecosystem to be there for all readers and media types, while respecting the past. We’re excited to see where he takes us in this fast-moving world of journalism.”

Baney is one of three individuals in the newsroom serving in new management positions.

Following Clohessy’s retirement, Jennifer Ladwig became the Tribune’s city editor and Trevan Pixley, a sports writer, switched to online editor, which is a new position.

Baney brings more than a quarter century of experience to his role as managing editor.

Baney, 46, started at the Tribune as a part-time sports reporter in 1997. He became a full-time sports reporter in 2002, sports editor in 2009, assistant city editor in 2019 and city editor in 2021.

During that time, he worked with and learned from three managing editors of the Tribune, Clohessy (2017-2024), Doug Bauer (2010-2017) and Paul Emerson (1981-2010).

“I’m very proud to work for an independent newspaper that has faithfully served our region for 132 years,” he said. “So many talented staffers over the years have made the Trib what it is, and our current staff is working to carry on that legacy.”

Baney graduated from Lewiston High in 1996 and Lewis-Clark State College in 2001. After graduating from LCSC, he was briefly employed by the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader as a sports writer before returning to the Tribune.

Baney and his wife, Sarah, reside in Lewiston with their two children, Miles, 14, and Lucy, 10.

Craft business opens in Grangeville

GRANGEVILLE – A vacant building in Grangeville has been transformed into a business where customers can buy gifts, tap into their creativity, order custom goods and relax over espresso drinks.

The Crafty Hide Away is at 111 W. Main St., said Heidi Brown, the business’s owner.

It’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Disney-themed purses, lanyards, wallets and belts as well as candles and a line of lighted scenes on canvas are among the gift items the shop stocks, Brown said.

A crafting section sells supplies such as paints, glitter and scrapbook paper and has a space where up to 32 people can work on their projects. That area can be reserved by crafting clubs for gatherings or vendors to teach classes.

The store also completes orders for clothing where it transfers pictures to the garments using a technique called direct to film and three-dimensional printing.

An espresso bar specializing in drinks made from DOMA Coffee Roasting Company beans with a seating area is in another part of the store.

The business is a family venture. Brown’s late husband, Brian Brown, was deeply involved in opening the store, helping develop its strategy, designing and completing much of the renovation of the space.

Their children, Kayle Brown and Cody Brown, work at The Crafty Hide Away. Kayle Brown manages the espresso bar and Cody Brown handles the direct-to-film orders and three-dimensional printing.

Brown’s position at The Crafty Hide Away is one of three jobs she holds. She is also a licensed tax preparer at H & R Block and an assistant director at the Grangeville Centennial Library.

Nurse practitioners hired by TriState Health

Two nurse practitioners, Stephanie Whitlock and Katie Pickens, have joined TriState Health.

Whitlock practices at TriState’s Clarkston clinic. She completed nursing school at Walla Walla Community College in 2014 and earned a master’s degree in nursing at Western Governors University in 2018 before completing her training as a nurse practitioner through Walden University in Minneapolis this year. An employee of TriState since 2021, she most recently was in the employee health department.

Pickens will work at TriState Family Practice Clearwater in Lewiston. She earned a bachelor’s of nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2021 and her master’s degree to be a family nurse practitioner from Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, Ky. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked as a nurse in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and Longview, Wash., in areas such as family practice, urgent care, labor and delivery and occupational health services.

Applications to become patients of Whitlock or Pickens are available at tsh.org/familypractice on the left-hand side of the page.

Palouse company provides sound system expertise

PALOUSE – The owner of Palouse Sound Rentals traces the roots of his business to a favor he did for a friend who was getting married.

The wedding was at Priest Lake at a venue that had no sound system, said Christian Burke, the owner of Palouse Sound Rentals, in a news release.

Burke, who had operated his church’s sound system for five years, purchased audio equipment for the event rather than renting gear and facing the challenge of learning it within hours before the wedding started.

Since then, Palouse Sound Rentals has operated sound systems for dozens of events, including weddings and a movie in the park event sponsored by the Colfax Chamber of Commerce.

The business provides event consultation to help event organizers identify what is required for their gathering, equipment rental, on-site sound management and sound system training.

Palouse Sound Rentals accepts bookings at (509) 531-8428.

Bee’s Knees Resale settles at new Clarkston location

Bee’s Knees Resale is featuring an expanded line of toys, baby gear, children’s clothing and maternity wear at a new Clarkston location.

The store, which was previously in downtown Lewiston, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 1013 Bridge St.

About 70% of the inventory of previously owned, gently used merchandise is for kids or expecting mothers. Women’s clothing rounds out the selection at the business owned by Bethany Peterson.

The business continues to cater to parents shopping with their children. The store has a play area and gives a free book to every child who visits the store accompanied by a parent.

Art Uncorked returns to downtown Lewiston

After a brief stint as an online business, Art Uncorked is back in a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Lewiston.

The business is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 628 Main St., a space that most recently housed Bee’s Knees Resale. (See story above.)

Art Uncorked offers art instruction, products and services, said Myndie VanHorn, the owner of the business.

Customers can take classes, paint ceramics any time the business is open or purchase projects to complete at home, VanHorn said.

As part of relocating to downtown, Art Uncorked will stay open until 9 p.m. during First Fridays, and offer a 10% discount for ceramic painting.

First Fridays are a Lewiston event on the first Friday of each month where participating businesses have extended evening hours, special products or sales.

Founded in 2013, Art Uncorked was most recently on Lewiston’s 21st Street after being in three spots in downtown Lewiston.